Work Out
by thousand-miles
Summary: The four detectives have fun outside work. Mike and Carolyn decide to tease Bobby and Alex with their obvious attraction to each other and play matchmaker too.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Work Out

**Author:** thousand-miles

**Rating:** T

**Summary: **The four detectives have fun outside work. Mike and Carolyn decide to tease Bobby and Alex with their obvious attraction to each other and play matchmaker too.

**A/N:** Don't have any idea where this one is going yet. The idea of a work out popped into my head. Hearing from many people that there's too much angst in this fandom, I went for fun and romance yet again. I like the combination. It gives me some more freedom with the characters. Also gives me the chance to warn you that this is just me having fun and this isn't a serious 'angst' filled fic. Of course there will be a little angst to get Bobby and Alex together, but fun and romance is the motto.

**Part one**

"Seriously, it's just too much." Alex explained to her friend as she sat down on the bike in the NYPD gym.

"But it's still romantic!" Carolyn Barek, Alex friend and colleague, exclaimed. Yesterday they'd had their regular girls night out. This time they had stayed in and watched Jerry Maguire.

"Romance doesn't mean a thing."

"How can you say that? Don't tell me you don't a little romance every once in a while." It hadn't taken long for both detectives to get along. However they didn't know each other that well yet. So sometimes, it happened that one surprised the other, like Alex surprised Carolyn.

Finding a comfortable cycling rhythm, Alex looked around the room for a moment. There were only three other detectives. Two were working with weights and another one was on the rower. "I'm not saying I don't like it. It was just unlikely. I mean _you complete me_, it's just so sappy." Alex explained, answering Carolyn's question.

"Don't you want a guy to tell you, you complete him? Someone who completes you? It's so romantic."

"What are you, a 16 year old teenager again? I think I'm complete enough. There doesn't seem to be a part missing, at least not to my knowledge. And what does _you complete me_ actually mean? Because when someone says that, it doesn't mean you've found eternal bliss. Many things can happen." If Carolyn had asked her this question ten years ago, her answer would have been quite different. Back then she believed in true love and soul mates.

"Even if that man is a certain six feet four tall, dark haired detective who goes by the name of Bobby Goren? If he would walk in and tell you, you complete him. Don't tell me you wouldn't melt!" Carolyn was no fool. She knew Alex liked her partner. And she couldn't deny herself that Robert Goren was an attractive man.

"Are we talking about the same man here?" Alex laughed. One thing was sure, that was never going to happen. "And may I ask why Bobby?"

Giving her friend an incredulous look, she shook her head. That woman was in real denial. "Come on Alex, don't deny it. You fancy Bobby."

"Fancy? Who still uses that word?" Alex asked, totally ignoring her friend's words.

"Fine, keep denying. We both know it's true. You fancy him."

"Fancy who?" Mike Logan, Carolyn's partner, suddenly appeared next to them. He was dressed in black shorts and a white shirt.

"Nobody." Alex shot Carolyn a warning look.

"Tell me, what did you two ladies do last night?" Walking up to Alex's bike, he put his hand on the steering wheel to lean on it.

"Watched a movie." Carolyn answered as she focused on her rhythm.

"Chick flick?" He asked.

"No, not really. I prefer the name, drama." She told her partner.

"Chick flick." Mike repeated again. Looking around he watched the different kinds of equipments. He decided on the treadmill.

After ten minutes of cycling, Alex and Carolyn walked over to the rowers. "Ocean's two is back." Carolyn nodded towards Logan and Goren. Both were now on a treadmill.

"How long shall we give them?" Mike and Bobby almost always got competitive during a work out. First time Alex had interrupted, telling them to grow up. Second time she didn't care anymore. After that she just watched. It was kinda fun. And seeing Goren working those muscles wasn't bad either. As long as the competitive streak didn't appear during their work, there was no problem.

"Ten." Carolyn guessed, taking a seat on a rower.

"Seems right."

Getting back on their previous subject, Carolyn tried again and she knew Alex didn't have a real problem with that particular subject. "Don't you like it when a guy woos you?"

"What!" She stopped rowing. "What is it with you and your weird words?"

"Don't ignore my question." The dark haired detective countered back. "Just answer it."

"Fine. It's not that I don't like it. It's just… a man doesn't have to 'woo' me. Just a nice evening out and a good conversation would make me very happy."

"Clearly it's been too long since you've had a date."

"You don't have to tell me." Alex agreed, getting back into her rhythm.

"I'll just tell Bobby he's going to have to woo you."

"Carolyn!" She cautioned her friend to say another word when she saw Bobby approaching them.

"Tell me what?" Bobby asked. He'd heard his name, but that was all. He saw Alex shooting Carolyn a angry look. He wondered what that was all about.

"That it's been too long since a guy has taken Alex out on a date. I wonder why?" An idea formed in Carolyn's mind and she smiled. Seeing her partner approach she waited for him to join them before she continued. "Glad you joined us, Mike. We're talking about Alex's lack of dates. Why is that? She's nice, she good at her job. She's not some psychopath. So what is the problem. She's attractive too, right?" She looked at the two men for answers. Mike just smiled and Bobby, he quickly averted his eyes from Alex. Inwardly Carolyn laughed, sometimes those two were too easy. She knew she could count on Mike. "You're a guy, Bobby. Tell me… is Alex, in your opinion, an attractive woman?"

"Well… I…I'm not sure…" He was flustered. There was no way he could answer this question without embarrassing himself and Alex. "I don't think this is…" He started again.

"A simply yes or no will do. Let me show you." Mike suggested. "Yes, I think Alex is an attractive woman. Now you try."

He was really reluctant to answer the question, so he simply went on. "We wanted to ask you to… to join us in a little basketball game."

In a way Alex was glad he didn't answer Carolyn's question. However his reluctance to answer, confirmed her suspicions. He was indeed not attracted to her and he didn't want to hurt and embarrass her by saying so in front of everybody. It really wasn't that much of a surprise. The girls he usually dated weren't anything like her. She could not deny that his refusal did in a way hurt her.

Looking at her friend, Carolyn decided to drop the subject. It seemed for the best. She agreed to the basketball game. They were so going to kick Goren and Eames' asses. She was sure. Alex nodded her agreement too and the four of them walked to the small basketball court that was next door to the gym.

Walking ahead of the women, Goren looked behind him to try to judge Alex's mood. He'd noticed she wasn't looking him in the eyes. He wasn't sure if his refusal to answer the question hurt her. Surely it wouldn't. Whether he found her attractive or not should not matter to her. It didn't matter to her, right? At the moment he wasn't so sure.

TBC...


	2. Game on

**A/N: Thank you so much for the nice reviews. I was really unsure about this one and I'm glad people liked the idea. Tristatecopfan, thanks for giving me the right words for these kind of fics, because I had no idea how to call it. The 'off-duty time' fics. Thanks Karen for pointing out the grammar. Here's the next chapter. Already got an idea for the next one, but I'm not promising when I'll update. Thanks again and enjoy!**

**Part two**

Things were not going well for Alex and Bobby. They were four points behind Logan and Barek. Bobby hated losing from Logan, especially when he knew they were better. He knew what they problem was, they weren't a team. Alex didn't seem focused on the game. She had a faraway look in her eyes.

"Come on, Alex." He called to her as he passed her the ball. She faked to the right and passed Carolyn on the left. With a simple lay up she scored.

The next few points were for Logan and Barek. This time it was Bobby who missed his shot. His mind was too occupied. They were off-balance and he hated that. He called for a time out.

"Told you, you overdid it on the treadmill. Can't keep up now." Mike said as he walked to his bag to get a bottle of water.

Ignoring his words, Bobby grabbed Alex's arm and practically dragged her to the side.

"I can perfectly well walk on my own." Alex said to him.

"Sorry." Making sure Barek and Logan couldn't hear them he began. "What's wrong?"

"Excuse me?" Alex took a step back.

"It… it's just that. You seem… bothered by something. Usually we're much better."

"I'm fine, you just can't deal with the fact that you might lose from them."

He rolled his eyes. "That's not true. Tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing is bothering me." Judging from the look in his eyes he didn't believe her. She really wasn't going to tell him that she was bothered by his refusal to answer Barek's question.

"Alex…"He tried again.

"Let's just finish this game." She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm again.

"Are you upset?" He bend slightly to catch her eyes. "Did… Did I upset you?"

Meeting his eyes, she made sure hers didn't reveal anything. She wasn't sure if she was successful. Bobby could sometimes be a bit too observant. "I'm fine." She winced at the sound of her own voice. She sure didn't sound fine.

Raising his eyebrows he let her know he wasn't convinced. His next words surprised her. "How was the movie?"

"Huh?"

"The one you watched with Carolyn. Jerry Maguire?" He saw her relax. It was a good thing he'd changed the subject.

"Nice."

"Just nice? Did you enjoy watching Tom Cruise?"

He really was surprising her. He actually knew the movie. She wondered if he'd seen it with a date?

"Did your heart beat a little faster when his character appeared on screen?" He asked.

"Eeuuh…no, not really." Was this man her partner?

"Really? Tom Cruise not your type?"

Was she actually discussing her 'type' with Bobby Goren? What the hell was happening here? Was there a hidden camera somewhere? She shook her head. He was confusing her.

"Then.." He asked stepping into her personal space. "what is your type?"

She swallowed hard at his proximity. Was this really her brilliant but somewhat shy partner? Luckily she was saved by Mike's yell.

"Just kiss and make up already! We got a game to finish."

Bobby opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't want to give Mike satisfaction.

"Let's finish the game." Alex said, stepping passed her partner onto the court.

The somewhat unusual conversation had helped. Within five minutes the score was tied for the first time in the game. It was Mike and Carolyn's turn. Barek passed the ball to Mike who, with a smooth move, left Bobby behind him. With a clear path to the basket he picked up his speed, to make a spectacular dunk. In full speed he pushed off the ground.

Jumping up to got for his dunk, his body collided with Alex's small body. Alex got a full body check because Mike didn't have time to stop. Alex fell to the ground with a loud thump. Her breath was knocked out of her by the impact.

Bobby was immediately at her side, calling her name. Her lack of breath made it impossible for her to reassure him. Getting air back in her lungs was more important. She held up her hand to indicate she just needed some time.

"Alex?" Bobby's voice filled with concern. Gently he placed his hand on her shoulder, needing to feel her body to make sure she was all right.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I saw you too late." Mike apologized, appearing in Alex's view.

"You should have been more careful." Bobby accused Mike, his eyes leaving Alex for a moment.

"Hey man, I'm sorry, okay." This time Mike apologized to Bobby.

Alex, meanwhile, had regained her breath and had heard Bobby's words. She placed her hand on his arm. "It's okay, Bobby." She softly said, trying to sit up.

Seeing her move he shoved her back onto the ground. His intent was to push her back gently, but his anger towards Mike had conveyed in shoving Alex. Alex hit the ground with a thump for the second time in less than ten minutes.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Bobby heard her groan as she hit the ground. Hovering over her, he put his hand under her head, checking for bumps.

"Smooth move, Goren."

"Shut up, Mike. This is your fault." This time Bobby kept his eyes on his partner. "I'm sorry, Alex." He apologized again and removed his hand from her hair.

"It's okay, Bobby." Trying to get up again she felt the pressure of his hand holding her down. Looking down she was surprised by the position of his hand.

Seeing her glance down, he followed her eyes. His hand had slipped from her shoulder precariously close to her breast.

"Comfortable?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrows. Bobby quickly removed his hand from her chest. He felt his cheeks warm and redden.

"Let me help you up, Alex." Mike offered her his hand, since Bobby wasn't moving. "To make it up to you, how about I take you out? Buy you a drink. Maybe introduce you to one of my buddies or maybe just the two of us?"

Releasing his hand, she stretched a bit to see if everything was all right. Feeling the ache in her back, she realized she would be in real pain tomorrow. She liked Mike's idea. She liked the man and enjoyed his company. An evening out with him sounded fun. "Sure, Mike. That sounds like fun. Ooh and you're buying the drinks." She pointed at him. Walking off the court, she called to the others. "I've had enough. Logan, Barek you guys win."

Grabbing his sports bag, Mike quickly followed Alex to make plans. It was only Carolyn and Bobby on the court now. Bobby was processing the latest events. Alex was going out with Mike? So if he had bumped into Alex during the game, he would have gone out with her? And why was she going out with Mike? She didn't even like Mike. Well she liked him, but wasn't interested in him, right?

Carolyn saw Goren's eyes go dark and smiled. He was jealous. The day after Mike and Alex's date she and Mike were going to have a little fun with the un-couple. They were just too easy and too obvious. She was sure Mike was going to help out.

TBC...


	3. Massage

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! This chapter took some time and effort, but here it is. Decided to try something out in this chapter, maybe it seems OOC, but hopefully not too much. Threw in a bit of flirting and of course they're going back and forth in their feelings for each other. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!**

**Part three**

After the game Alex had gone home. Feeling the ache start in her back she had taken a warm bath to smooth her muscles. She was now lounging on the couch, watching television and eating her Chinese take out.

The doorbell disturbed her quiet evening. With some effort she got up from the couch. She was sure that tomorrow morning she would be really stiff. There had to be a way to loosen those muscles up. Slowly she walked to her front door. Ready to brush the visitor off she opened the door. In her hallway stood her partner.

"Hi." He greeted her somewhat hesitantly. He almost never came by her place and if he did it was always work related.

"Hey, come on in." Stepping aside she closed the door behind them. "Want something to drink?"

"No, thank you." Bobby stepped further into her apartment.

"Okay." Standing in her living room they eyed each other. She really didn't know why he was here. She saw him holding a little brown bag and wondered what was in it.

Bobby didn't quite know how to act. Should he keep standing or sit down? But it would be kinda rude to just sit down. "How are you?" He asked, turning to her.

"Good." She walked over to her couch.

"How's the back?"

"Sore." She answered, sitting down carefully.

"I…I…" He didn't quite know how to tell her about his idea.

"Why are you still so hesitant with me?" She suddenly asked him. "Sit down." She gestured to a chair. "I don't understand it. We've been working together for so long now. There's nothing for you to be apprehensive about with me. You can tell me anything. I thought you knew that. I thought you were comfortable with me. But lately though your behaviour has become more insecure and hesitant around me. It makes me wonder why. Did something change?" Seeing his stunned look she realized this wasn't the right time. And frankly she wasn't in the mood for a heavy conversation. "Tell me what you wanted to say."

There was no escape now. He had to tell her why he was here. She was right about his apprehension. Lately his feelings for her confused him. He didn't quite know how to handle it. Ignore or welcome them? The reason for his presence at her apartment would test his self control and confront him even more with his feelings for her. He was doing this for her and hoped it would make her feel better.

"I was worried about you and wanted to know how you were." He explained, shifting in the chair. "I know your back must be sore and thought maybe I… could help."

"Help me how?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Maybe…I could give you a massage." His voice had gone soft and secretly he hoped she hadn't heard him.

Alex was speechless, staring at him with wide eyes. He did say what she thought he said, right? He wanted to give her a massage? He was going to have his big hands on her back? That really would be quite pleasant. She couldn't believe he was actually suggesting this, but she sure as hell wasn't going to object. Trying to curb her enthusiasm she coughed. "Well…, that would be nice, Bobby." She said, proud that her voice didn't reveal how much she liked the idea.

Silence filled the air again. Both were waiting for the other to make the first move. "You can't give me a massage from over there. Come on over here."

Standing next to the couch, Bobby contemplated if this would be comfortable for her. Her couch was big enough, but maybe she would be more comfortable in her bed. "Do you… would you be more comfortable in your bed?" He rushed out.

"Depends on what we're going to do." Seeing his cheeks turn red she laughed. "Here's fine, Bobby."

Seeing her hands go to her sweater, Bobby quickly turned around, to give her some privacy and to prepare himself for what he was about to see. He rolled up his shirt sleeves and grabbed the bottle of oil. He'd read up on the different kind of oils and decided this one would be best for her. He'd gone to the store to buy the ingredients and made it himself. Feeling the bottle he decided it needed to be warmed up. "I need to warm this up, I'll be right back."

In her kitchen, while waiting for the oil to warm, he took some deep breath. He needed to stay focused. He was doing this for her, she deserved this. He was not going to get distracted by the fact that she was lying on the couch and he was going to see her naked back. He was going to focus on the massage and ignore the fact that this was the woman he desired. The beep of the microwave brought him back to reality.

Walking back to the couch her back was presented to him. This was so going to test his self control. Carefully sitting down on the edge of the couch he put some oil on her back. Slowly he began rubbing the oil on her skin. His hands seemed so big on her small back. It made him realize that she was a small, fragile woman. On the job she was so tough and out-spoken that he often forget that. He also knew that if he even mentioned his thoughts she would injure him. No, he knew better than that. She felt good underneath his hands, her skin soft and pale. She was beautiful.

"Keep going." Alex said into the couch when his hands stilled.

"Sorry." Slowly he continued his journey down her back. He would not be distracted again.

His strong hands were gently smoothing away her aches. From her shoulder to her back, he worked all the muscles. There was nothing more soothing or relaxing than a nice massage. She groaned when he reached a sensitive spot.

Immediately he froze. Had he hurt her? Maybe this wasn't a good idea. "Did I hurt you?"

"God no, keep going. I knew those big hands of yours would come in handy some day." This massage was exactly what she needed. She was sure her back wouldn't be as sore as she first expected tomorrow. He was really good at this. She wondered how often he'd done this on other women. "What kind of oil is this?" She loved the way it smelled. "I love the smell."

"It's called Summer Rain." He was glad she liked his choice.

"I need to remember that. Need to buy some of my own." She moaned as he yet again hit a sensitive spot. "Of course my own masseur to use the oil would be nice." She was hoping her remark would provoke a reaction.

"I didn't buy it. I… I made it myself. It has lavender, rose, jasmine and grape seed oil."

"Mmm… it's really, really nice. You've gotta make me some."

He smiled even though she couldn't see it. He didn't tell her why he had chosen that one. He would keep that to himself. "I will, but only if I have exclusive rights." He whispered in her ear, his words even shocking himself. They had slipped out before he could think about them. His hands stilled immediately.

She was shocked too. She never expected anything like this from her partner. Acknowledging the fact that he was really uncomfortable at the moment, she pushed aside true meaning of his words. "I'll consider it if you continue the massage."

He smiled again, thankful she wasn't going to get into his words and started to massage her back again. His mind wandered back to the day's events and his peaceful feelings disappeared, replaced with jealousy. "Are you really going out with Mike?"

"I am." Slowly she felt his gently massage was turning more vigorous. If he was going to keep this up, she would be in more pain tomorrow. "Euuh…Bobby, ease up, okay."

"Why?" It seemed as if he hadn't heard her words.

"Because he's nice and I think we'll have fun. Now can you please slow down a bit?" Her voice was harder, hoping this time she did get through to him.

He stilled his hands again. "I don't think you should go out with him."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

She was giving him the perfect way to tell her about his feelings for her. She was taking the first step. This was his chance, but he ignored it for he feared rejection.

This time she didn't put it aside. "Tell me. Tell me why I shouldn't go. Why don't you want me to go? Is it because you don't like the thought of Mike and me? Or is because you rather have it be you than Mike?" She wanted to turn around, to see his eyes, to know what he was feeling. But she couldn't, not without exposing a bit more of herself than she wanted to at this point in time.

He really didn't want this confrontation. He was nowhere near ready for that. He had only come by her place to help her. This was not something he wanted to talk about, his feelings for her were off limits to her even though sometimes she got s glimpse of them. He removed his hands from her back and stood up. "I think I should leave." After all sometimes avoidance was the better option. Grabbing his coat he was almost at the door when he heard her voice behind him.

"Keep running if you want, Bobby. I'm not going to wait forever. By the time you turn around and figure things out, it might be too late." He didn't turn around, but she did see the slump in his shoulders. She had hit a nerve. After he'd closed the door, she was left standing alone in her apartment, with her thoughts and feelings for her partner all jumbled up. She had given him an opportunity to tell her how he really felt about her. He hadn't reacted to it.

So was her initial thought right? He didn't have feelings for her. But why had he come here to give her a massage? Maybe in Bobby's mind that was merely a friendship thing, to her… it was more. And he did flirt with her, wanting to have exclusive rights? She couldn't ignore that. Could her only conclusion be that a relationship with Bobby was never going to happen? That she should simply get over it? If that was the case, then going out with Mike was a good opportunity to start fresh and she was going to do exactly that. Maybe this was for the best. At least she knew where she stood and could leave all this behind her. Let by gones be by gones.

TBC...


	4. Two can play that game

**A/N: While writing this chapter I found Bobby to passive. I thought I needed to spice things up a little. Create some heat between Alex and Bobby. And I think Bobby could get somewhat 'nasty' if the right buttons were pushed. And in my shipper mind, Alex and the thought of Alex and another man, is something that would push that button. I just feel like Bobby and Alex should really be at odds before I will try to mend things. That's why I did what I did. I feel this is a risky chapter and I will hide behind the wall now to avoid things that might be thrown at me. Ideas and suggestions for the next chapter will be appreciated because I have no clue what so ever for the next chapter which means it'll take me longer to update. And I will probably repost chapter three some time this week because I found major grammar errors in it. **

**Part four**

It was Monday morning and she felt wonderful. Her weekend had been truly refreshing. Saturday had been her date with Mike. They'd had a great time. Mike sure knew how to treat a lady. She knew his reputation, but that hadn't been a problem. Both knew nothing would happen. They had gone out to dinner to a nice French restaurant. The mood was perfect. They talked about life, love, friendship, memories and relationships. They'd practically talked about everything. He was easy to talk to and she found out he was a good listener. They also laughed a lot. Their sense of humor complimented each other.

After dinner, they'd gone to a bar where she'd met some of his buddies. She was surprised by the difference in all of them. There was one man whom she liked. His name was Ben and he was an emergency doctor. He was quiet compared to Mike and his other friends, but he'd started talking to her almost immediately. The fact that he was good looking was a bonus. She found out he was from Chicago and had moved to New York ten years ago. They hadn't exchanged phone numbers and she was fine with that. If he was really interested he would only have to ask Mike. She would wait and see. Most important thing was she felt really good about herself. She wouldn't mind spending more time with Mike.

Mike and Carolyn had talked about their game plan. Walking to the break room they found Bobby there. It was time to put their plan into action. Yawning loudly Mike grabbed a cup. "Hey Goren." He greeted his colleague.

"Exhausting weekend, Mike?" Carolyn started as she pored herself a cup of tea.

"Yeah, Alex and I went on our date Saturday." Poring his coffee he saw Goren flinch. They had his attention. "She's terrific."

"That she is." Carolyn agreed. Together they walked back to their desk. They'd decided to give Goren only bits and pieces. Some true, some not so true. He just wouldn't know which bits.

Some time later, Carolyn saw Bobby approaching her desk. She waved Mike over. "Did you show her all your moves?"

"And then some. Let me tell you, she appreciated each one." Mike's voice was louder than usual to make sure Bobby heard as he passed their desk.

Lunchtime approached and Mike and Carolyn walked over to Bobby and Alex. "Darling, why don't you and your partner join us for lunch." Mike suggested, winking at Alex.

"Or should we maybe go alone?" Alex wiggled her eyebrows at him. Two could play that game.

"But what will the kids think?" Mike looked at Carolyn and Bobby, who was trying hard to appear focused on the papers in front of him. However since the beginning of the conversation his hand had still and he hadn't written down a word.

"I think they're old enough. After all we raised them well."

"All right you two, come on let's eat." Mike offered Alex her coat as she stood up from her desk. It was Carolyn who noticed Bobby wasn't with them.

"Goren, come on, let's go."

"No, you go. I have some stuff to finish." He really didn't want to hear about Mike and Alex's date. Her words still haunted his dreams as well as current thoughts. Only when he was working on a case did they move to the back of his mind.

"But you gotta eat too." Carolyn was not going to give up.

"I'll grab a donut."

Alex sighed, knowing that Carolyn wouldn't succeed. She pulled his coat from the hook, walked to his desk and grabbed his arm. It wasn't easy to pull him off his chair, but she knew how to handle her partner. He knew their strength difference and would never think about hurting her. He could easily put his weight in it and there was nothing she could do about it, but he wouldn't, fearing he would hurt her. That's what she liked about him, one of the many things that is. He was so big and strong, but he would never hurt anyone. He was such a gentle man.

"Fine." He grumbled, accepting the coat she thrust into his hands.

At the diner Mike sat down next to Alex, which left Bobby to sit down next to Carolyn. "Where did you two go?" Carolyn asked after the four of them had given the waitress their orders.

"We went to 'Le Jardin'. Mike smiled at Alex.

"It was great. Nice restaurant, good food and great company." Alex kept her eyes on Bobby. He didn't join the conversation nor did he look at her. But he heard every word and reacted to them. She wondered what it all meant. She wanted to resolve things with him, to know where she stood with him. She needed to know before she could move on. If it was rejection, well she was a big girl, she could take it. It was up to him to take the first step. After all she'd already tried once. If joking around like this would provoke a reaction than so be it.

"And afterwards?" Carolyn asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Afterwards? Took her to meet some of my buddies, but of course she only had eyes for me."

Alex laughed at the last bit. If they only knew the truth. "Of course. You know Carolyn, his reputation as a ladies man seems to be quite right, at least as far as I could tell. And who am I to object to the benefits?"

"So, did he woo you?" Carolyn referred to their conversation in the NYPD gym a few days ago.

"I don't know." She turned to Mike. "Did you woo me?"

"Yes!" He said, offended that she wasn't sure. "We went to a nice restaurant, had a romantic dinner, drank something afterwards and I brought her home again. If that isn't wooing then I don't know." Thinking Goren had been silent for far too long, Mike addressed him. "Goren, tell us, how do you woo a lady?"

Bobby decided if this was how they were going to play it, he would play along. They were clearly trying to get him to react, including Alex and he had enough. Two could play that game and she was going to find out. "Depends on the woman. Not all women like wooing. Some just want a nice dinner and a quiet evening to talk and enjoy each other's company."

He shifted in his seat, his foot slightly touching Alex's leg. Sure that he had her attention he continued. "If it's a special person, I'll pick her up and give her white roses. We have dinner at a nice Italian restaurant where we sit at a secluded and romantic table. Candlelight, champaign and some soft music on the background to create a nice mood. After dinner we go to a small jazz club and sit in a small booth, close together. We get to know each other better, drink, listen to music and maybe even dance. Then I like to talk a walk in the park before we go home. I'm thinking this isn't our first date and I know this woman fairly well. I invite her over to my place where I light candles and offer to give her a nice massage."

Seeing he had everyone's attention, especially Alex's whose cheeks had colored slightly, he went on with his narrative. "It's all about setting the mood. I always make my own massage oil, so I'll choose one depending the mood and the person. I slowly start massaging her back, smoothing all the muscles and have her purr like a kitten. These hands…" Bobby said, raising and waving them. "can work magic. It's one of the many advantages of having big hands." He had watched Alex closely. She wasn't obvious in her reaction, but a occasional flinch of tensing of the hands were noticeable to him. Bet she hadn't expected this. Time for his surprise. He turned his body towards Carolyn. "How about it, Carolyn? You and me, a nice dinner, jazz club? Mike showed Alex a nice time, how about you and I have a nice time of our own. Give them something to talk about."

She had to give him credit for the way he turned the tables on them. Hearing him talk about how he would woo a woman, why should she refuse? Besides, of course, Alex being pissed at her. Bobby was an attractive man, nice and seemed to be good company. A night on the town with him sounded very nice. She could deal with Alex's death glare. "Sure, I'd love to, Bobby."

Alex couldn't believe Carolyn accepted his offer. She was going out on a date with _her_ partner. She shot the other woman a death glare. She should have known Bobby would get back at them. And he knew exactly how. She knew that it meant nothing to them. Carolyn liked Bobby, but wasn't interested romantically. Bobby would have asked her out sooner if he was truly interested. She would not let this bother her. After all he wasn't interested so why should she care?

"We could have dinner or just skip to that massage." Bobby went on, wanting to provoke her.

"Mmm…that sounds nice." Carolyn could imagine those hands working its magic. "What kind of oil would you make me?" She asked, not seeing the way her words were affecting Alex. If she had seen Alex nervous twitches, she wouldn't have continued the conversation.

"Summer rain." Bobby's eyes settled on Alex's on purpose and he kept them there. He was indeed getting to her, her jaw set tight. "But I could make something really special for a truly special person. Maybe summer rain is a bit too common for you. Nothing special about it." Direct hit, he thought as he saw Alex close her eyes and take deep breath. He'd wanted a real reaction, not the subdued once she had given so far. He regretted his words immediately when he saw her look at him with unshed tears in her eyes. God, he was a jerk! It was too late to take back his words. He had truly screwed things up now.

Standing up, Alex grabbed her coat, tossed some money on the table and left without even finishing her lunch. It couldn't get any more obvious, she meant nothing to him. She'd wanted clarity and she had gotten it. It was just a lot harder to deal with rejection than she'd expected.

TBC...


	5. Talk about it

**A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews. I thought readers wouldn't like the turn I made, but apparently I was wrong. Thanks for the ideas, I incorporated one. For people who might be wondering, I'm not going to include a Mike/Carolyn storyline. I put some female bonding in this chapter and thought it would be nice to bring Lewis back. Lewis should be on the show more often. I like him. And two chapters today because I've already written the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Part five**

The rest of the week Alex had hardly talked to him. She'd refused his efforts to try to talk to her. He wanted, no, needed to apologize. Their partnership was strained. Sure they still worked well together, but there were no pleasantries anymore. No more lingering glances, no touches, no smiles. He missed her warmth, the way she could look at him with her beautiful brown eyes and that soft smile on her lips. He missed what they had and he was the only one to blame.

He saw Mike with her, touching her arm or lower back. Places where his hands used to be, where they belonged. He ached for her, but he couldn't do anything about it. She refused to talk to him and he could not make her talk. Sitting at their desk they would both focus on their paperwork. His eyes drifted to her every so often, but she didn't react. Sometimes she would even stand up and walk over to Mike and Carolyn.

All his life he had searched for someone like her. At first he'd tried to chase her away, unsure about their partnership. Quickly though, things changed and felt right. He loved being in her presence. She was energetic, caring and a really good partner. He wanted to hold onto her, not wanting to imagine life without her. And now, he'd done what he'd feared most. He had chased her away. Emotionally they had never been this far apart. It would only be a matter of time before she would walk away from their partnership. He had to try and fix things. He just did not know how.

IT WAS Friday evening and it was girls night out. Carolyn had noticed Alex's mood…it was hard to miss. At that lunch on Monday something had been said, but neither she nor Mike knew what had really happened. All they knew was that Alex was hurt and it was Bobby's fault. The entire week she'd spend a lot of time with them. Seeking Mike's comfort and company some times. Carolyn had tried to get Alex to talk, but she'd refused. Tonight though, they were going to talk. She knew Alex needed it and venting, letting it all out, could make a person feel better. She and Bobby hadn't talked about going out on a date. Bobby had avoided all of them. She'd seen his attempts to talk to Alex, one time cornering her in the break room, other times reaching for her hand, but Alex simply pulled away. Neither wanted to cause a scene in the squad room, so Bobby would back off quickly. Carolyn had everything ready for their evening. A movie, popcorn, beer and more importantly tissues.

An hour after Alex's arrival at Carolyn's apartment, she finally seemed to loosen up. The three beers she'd had helped in that matter. There was no holding her back.

"When are you going out with Bobby?" Alex asked, not even trying to hide the anger in her voice.

Carolyn smiled. "I don't know."

"Didn't you two set a date? He has to have time to plan all those things and make a special oil for you." There was not only anger in her voice, but also accusation.

"What's up with the massage?" Carolyn asked. Apparently it was a sensitive subject.

"Nothing." Alex took another big gulp of her beer.

"Sure." Carolyn didn't believe Alex at all. "What's going on, Alex. This entire week you've kept Bobby at arms length. Something happened during our lunch, I just don't know what. I've seen Bobby trying to talk to you, but you push him away. What happened?"

"Bobby's being Bobby."

That answer really didn't clarify things. "How long have you liked him?" She asked, expecting Alex to deny it.

"For a while now." The blond detective sounded defeated. "I don't remember when it happened. I guess it was gradual. He has a way of getting under your skin. One day I realized I didn't want to imagine my life without him."

"What about Bobby?"

She shrugged, she really didn't know anymore. "I don't know. Sometimes I thought he might feel the same. I would catch him watching me with that sweet little smile on his face. There were touches and moments. However I was never sure." She looked at her glass. It was empty again. "When he didn't answer your question in the gym I started doubting everything. He's not an easy man and life has really done a number on him. I tried you know, I took the first step. After all he might not want to answer the question in front of you and Mike. He came by that evening, worried about me. He told me he didn't want me to go out with Mike. I wasn't on my best, but I was sure I detected some jealousy in his voice. I asked him to give me a good reason why I shouldn't go. I asked him if he wanted to be the one to take me out. He didn't answer. He immediately ran for the door. I told him I wasn't going to wait forever."

Her eyes were focused on a spot on the carpet. "I… I made my feelings evident to him. If he needed a push, if he needed for me to tell him first, then he had his chance. Apparently I misread the situation. He didn't react, just ran out on me. At lunch I got my confirmation. He isn't interested. I mean nothing to him. I'm just average, nothing special." She hadn't actually said the words out loud before. Now that she had, it was reality, it was time to close the book Bobby Goren.

THAT same weekend Bobby had a talk with his friend Lewis. It was Saturday afternoon and Bobby was hanging out in Lewis' garage. Lewis and he went way back and Bobby felt no need to hide himself from his friend. His friend had been there when they'd taken his mother to Carmel. Lewis had seen him at his worst.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" Lewis asked while he was looking under the hood of one of the many cars he had in his shop.

"What do you mean?" Bobby walked around looking at the different cars. Some times he stopped to take a closer look.

"You've hardly said a word and you look like you've hardly slept."

"Things are messed up at work."

Lewis walked around the car to grab some of his tools. Back under the hood he went to work. "Did you and Alex have a fight?"

Bobby leaned against the side of the car and ran a hand through his hair. "Something like that. I screwed up, Lewis. I really screwed up." Explaining the situation he began pacing up and down the floor. "She gave me the chance to tell her… to tell her how I feel. I ran away, I couldn't face the confrontation. Things got worse after she'd gone out with Mike."

"Mike?" Lewis looked up from under the hood.

"Yeah, a new Detective. He took her out and he and Carolyn kept talking about the date."

"Carolyn?"

"His partner. Anyway, at lunch they decided it would be fun to push my buttons, Alex included. I pushed back, Lewis. I pushed back way too hard. I told her she was nothing, told her she was just average." In his anger he kicked against the side of the tire.

"Careful! This is not your car." Lewis exclaimed. Bobby had his full attention now. He put his tools down and looked at his friend.

"I hurt her, Lewis. I really hurt her and now she won't talk to me anymore. We still work our cases, but she's so far out of my reach. I've tried to get her to talk to me, but she won't. She seeks comfort from Mike. I see him touch her like I used to comfort her when he'd have a bad case. I'm losing the best person in my life and she won't give me a chance to explain myself. I… I need her to give me a chance to apologize. I want us to be like we were. I want to be back in her life again."

TBC...


	6. Separation

**A/N: Here's Jimmy's chapter. After all the Captain isn't blind. Ideas for the next chapter would be welcome. I want another confrontation between Alex and Bobby, but don't know yet how or where or what the trigger for it could be. Enjoy!**

**Part six**

Partners who were at odds wasn't new to him. As a Captain he'd seen a fair share or partnerships gone wrong and end. This one, he hadn't expected. Alex and Bobby's partnership was strong and consistent. There was nothing that could break them apart or so he thought. He was going to find out what the problem was. He couldn't ignore it any longer. Depending on what was going to be said he would put them on desk duty. After all when a partnership was at odds, it could become dangerous in the field. He wasn't going to risk their lives.

Who to talk to first, Alex or Bobby? It was probably best to talk to Alex first. If he talked to Bobby first, Alex would probably guess what was going on and would come up with an excuse. After talking to them both would he decide if it was necessary to talk to together.

Walking into the squad room on Monday morning after a meeting, he spotted Alex at her desk. Bobby was nowhere in sight. Probably for the best. Knocking on her desk as he walked by he called to her. "Eames, my office please."

"Something wrong, Cap?" Alex followed her boss into his office, closing the door behind her.

"You tell me." Deakins put his coat on the rack. He chose not to sit behind his desk, wanting to put his detective at ease.

"Excuse me?"

"I've watched you and Goren last week and something is wrong. There's a strain on your partnership. I'm worried. I waited to see if you two would resolve the problem. Clearly that hasn't happened. Apparently it has even gotten to a point where you feel like you have to avoid him. I think it's time we talked about it because if this goes any further I'm going to have to take actions."

She should have known he would have noticed. He was too good of a Captain not too. She had thought he would have confronted them with it, but now he was already talking about repercussions. Even if it hurt to work with him, she did not want the partnership to end.

"Tell me what's going on, Alex." He sat down in one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

Alex copied his move and slumped in the chair. She really did not want to talk about this with her boss, but he had a right to know. It was interfering with their job. "We… I'm mad at him." She sighed. "I really don't want to get into this, we can solve this."

"You're going to have to and I doubt you're going to solve things. I mean it Alex. If you don't tell me more, I'm going to have to split you two up."

"You can't do that!"

"Then tell me what's wrong." He didn't want to split them up either, but as a leader you sometimes had to make decisions that were in the best interest of people even if they couldn't see that.

"I can't tell you everything. Some of it is very personal."

"Fine, then tell me what I need to know." He wondered if maybe Goren and Eames were involved and he hadn't seen the signs.

"He hurt me…bad." Before she could explain how, Deakins interrupted her.

"Physically?" He didn't want to ask the question, but knew he needed to.

"No!" She exclaimed. Bobby would never hurt her physically. "No." She said again to make sure he understood. It was difficult to explain how Bobby had hurt her without going into specifics. He didn't need to hear how wonderful Bobby's hand had felt on her and how at night she could still feel those hands. Could still feel how gentle he had been with her. She did not need to go down this road in her Captain's office, otherwise she would break down in tears. "He made it clear I didn't mean anything to him."

Standing up she signalled the end of the conversation. Deakins looked at her and saw she was trying hard to regain control over her emotions. Things were really messed up between his detectives even more than he initially thought. Bobby had really done a number on her. He nodded to her and she quickly left his office. He stood up and followed her with her eyes through the squad room. She passed her desk, to the hall way, probably to go to the ladies room.

Time to talk to the other half. He saw the detective walking out of one of the exam rooms to his desk. "Goren, my office, now."

The look on his Captain's face warned him this wasn't going to be a pleasant talk. Hesitantly he stepped into the office and closed the door. This time Deakins sat behind his desk. With Goren he needed to emphasize their positions. Goren seemed to react better to authority. If he suspected the conversation would turn personal he would become uncomfortable. Goren didn't deal with that very well with that.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush here. You and Eames are not functioning the way you used to. It needs to be solved, otherwise I'm going to take actions. You will be separated. I wanna know what's wrong." He wasn't going to tell his detective that he had talked to his partner already. That was unless this conversation made it clear that he had to tell Goren.

"It's nothing we can't solve." Bobby tried.

"I'm not buying that. This has been going on for a week now. Alex is avoiding you, Goren. How are you going to solve it if she won't even talk to you?"

He didn't know Deakins had noticed. He was right though, he couldn't do a thing. "I'm…. I'm not sure."

"Talk, Goren."

Bobby stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I said some things I shouldn't have said. I blew the partnership we had, but more importantly I ruined the friendship we had. I don't know if I can fix this." That was actually the first time he'd voiced that thought. After talking to Lewis that weekend he'd come to the conclusion that he might had to accept the fact that Alex and he could be history. "I felt like she was provoking me and I lashed out. I told her she was nothing."

Looking at Goren, Deakins couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The man standing in front of him wasn't the tall strong and confident detective he knew. His head hung low, his shoulders slumped, before him stood a defeated man. He didn't know if he could help his two best detectives out. He couldn't take Goren's words back for him. He couldn't order Alex to talk to her partner.

He really didn't want to do this, but there was no other option. Sometimes drastic measures is what it took. Hopefully this would cause some sort of positive reaction from the both of them. "Effective immediately you and Alex are no longer partners. You will partner up with Barek and Alex with Logan."

Bobby nodded, he could understand the Captain's choice. He didn't have any other option. He and Alex were no longer partners. Defeated he walked to the door. Grabbing the doorknob, Deakins spoke again.

"I don't want this to be a permanent solution, but I will make it one if I have to."

TBC...


	7. Talk with your new partner

**A/N: You guys are really overwhelming me with reviews. Thank you! It of course also helps my motivation to write more. And this is the result. Yet another chapter. Carolyn and Mike take turns in talking to their new partners. Confrontation in the next chapter. I have an idea for part of that chapter already. I have to see how things are going to go tomorrow. With some luck I'll be able to update tomorrow, but I'm not making any promises. Enjoy!**

**Part seven**

His partnership with Carolyn wasn't bad. She just wasn't Alex. They were both eccentric and both needed a more straightforward partner to make a partnership really work.

He'd expected Alex to mention their break. In stead she'd turned to Mike like she was glad he was gone. They were smiling and joking around a lot of the time. And yes, he still saw Mike touching her. He and Alex didn't talk to each other anymore. She only went to talk to Carolyn when he wasn't around. She seemed happy with him. Maybe he should ask Deakins to make the change permanent. All he wanted was for her to be happy and she clearly wasn't happy when he was around.

Mike and Carolyn had decided to take it upon themselves to see how bad things really were between Alex and Bobby. Both would talk to their new partners. Carolyn saw Bobby look at Alex every once in a while. She saw the look of longing and sadness in his eyes. She'd thought about telling Bobby about her conversation with Alex. She decided not to, Alex had told her that in confidence.

Walking down the street with her new partner, Carolyn thought now would be a good time to bring up Alex. "You miss her a lot, don't you?"

Stuffing his hands in his coat pockets he nodded. No use in denying, Carolyn was observant.

"Why don't you talk to her?"

"She doesn't want to talk to me."

"I think she does."

He shook his head. "I've tried, she made it clear she doesn't want me around." He shrugged. "Maybe this change is for the best."

"Don't give up so easily." She didn't know if she would be able to convince Bobby. He seemed determined.

"Why not?" He asked, turning to her. "She seems perfectly happy with your former partner. Doesn't seem like she misses me. She won't even greet me anymore, won't even look at me anymore. Don't tell me not to give up! I cannot fight anymore, not if she clearly doesn't want me to." Getting frustrated with the situation his hands started to flail around.

"I miss her! She has been the best thing that ever happened to me. She was the one partner who understood me. More important, she was my best friend. I miss her every day. To see her walk around the squad room, but not being able to even say hello to her, hurts. I cannot turn back time. I really hurt her, she has every right to be mad at me. I want her to be happy and if that means backing out of her life, I will do exactly that." Realizing he'd said more than planned, he walked away.

"Stop, Goren!" Carolyn ran after him. His declaration had shocked her temporarily. Catching up with him she caught his arm and turned him around. "Why won't you fight for her, fight for what you had? Maybe she needs you to make the first move."

"How can I, Carolyn? She won't talk to me. Why can't you see that?"

"I know." She really didn't have a solution either. Alex refused to say a word to Bobby. Was she doing that to protect herself?

"Can we… can we just go back to work?"

"Yeah." Together they continued their walk to One Police Plaza. Her attempt to talk to Bobby hadn't really helped. It seemed there was nothing Mike or her could do. She could see how much Bobby still cared and she wondered why Alex couldn't see it. Without Bobby's knowledge, Alex did still watch him in the squad room. She was subtly about it, but Carolyn did see it. She also saw the pain in her friend's eyes. She shook her head. They both shouldn't be so stubborn. Bobby needed to push Alex and Alex needed to lighten up. There was no way that this was going to resolve itself any time soon.

Alex, in her turn, missed her best friend. Sure she had fun with Mike and he was a good partner, but he was no Bobby. He seemed to be getting along with Carolyn. Secretly she'd hoped his partnership with Carolyn would fail, if only to prove that what they had was special. That she was the only one he wanted at his side.

ON THE drive back from a crime scene Mike thought a little talk would be perfect. Carolyn and he felt guilty about the way they'd teased Bobby. The break in the partnership of their friends had been a big surprise. He knew Alex was hurt, he saw it in her eyes. The joy he used to see when she was with Goren was gone. There seemed to be a constant sadness in her brown orbs.

"Have you considered talking to him?" Mike asked, lounging back in his chair. He liked the fact that Alex preferred to drive.

"Don't, Mike." She warned her new partner.

Ignoring her warning he went on. "Is this what you wanted? You wanted to lose him?"

"Back off, Mike. You have no idea what I want."

"Apparently it's not him." He was not going to make this easy for her. Alex needed to be pushed and he was going to do exactly that. "You know he's been trying to talk to you. You simply refuse to have him near you. Since the split up, he's stayed away from you. Is this the way you want it to be?"

"No."

"Then do something!"

"Why me? Why can't he do something?"

"You know why. Don't play dumb, Alex." He looked at her and saw her hands were holding the steering wheel tightly. "How can he do something when you avoid him?"

"I know. I just… I needed him to realize what he said. I needed him to make a move."

"I know, but you know Goren better than anyone. We pushed him and he reacted, but went too far. When he realized his mistake he probably felt awful. I can understand that you didn't want him near you in the beginning. But you could have at least acknowledged the problem and told him you needed time."

She knew Mike was right and nodded. "Maybe I should…"

"Talk to him." Mike finished for her. "I'm not saying you have to solve things immediately. Just tell him that he needs to give you time or whatever you need. Tell him this change isn't going to be forever, that you want him back, but just don't know how yet. Tell him he's not losing the best thing that ever happened to him."

Mike was probably right. She needed to let Bobby know that this was just temporary. She wanted…, no, needed him back. She missed his gentle presence by her side. This week she felt like he'd given up on them. He didn't even look at her anymore. Listening to Mike maybe she was to blame for that. She hated the fact that she yet again was going to have to take the first step. It all seemed one-sided, as if he didn't want to have their partnership back, as if he didn't care. Tomorrow she would talk to Bobby, try to sort some things out.

TBC...


	8. Confrontation

**A/N: Here's the confrontation I was talking about. Yeah, don't get too mad at me. Question for the one's who read. It's obvious that Bobby needs to take action after their talk. Whatshould be the setting, OPP, Alex apartment or somewhere else? Ideas for the next chapter would be very welcome. I believe it was TristateCop suggested that Bobby should woo Alex. I think it's a bit too early for. Like I said, suggestions and ideas are really welcome. I have no clue what to do with the next chapter and that means updating might take some time. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and thank you for the reviews!**

**Part eight**

"Are you sure about this?" Deakins asked his detective. He really didn't want to do this and Bobby's request even had him shocked. However, he wasn't sure if he could ignore his detective's request, nor was he sure if he should agree with it.

"I think it's for the best. She seems happy with him." He'd made the request yesterday afternoon after his talk with Carolyn. It was a tough decision to make, but in the end it seemed for the best. He would not ruin her career. He would not stand in her way if she needed this.

"Does she know?" Deakins looked into the squad room through the glass that surrounded his office.

"No." He followed the Captain's glance. Alex was sitting at her desk, laughing at something Mike had said. Carolyn stood next to her, laughing along.

There was no way he was going to tell Alex, Deakins thought. He knew better than that. He wasn't going to fight Goren's battles for him. "You know you're going to have to tell her?"

"Yes." He sighed.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Do you really want to do this, Goren?" Deakins walked back to his desk and sat down, putting Goren's paper on his desk.

"Yeah. I'll… I'll go tell her." He said, leaving Deakins alone in his office.

This was going to be one hell of a mess, that much was sure. Looking at the form in his hand, Deakins didn't sign it. He would not give up on them. He decided to give them a month. If they hadn't told him by then that they wanted to be back together, only then would he approve the permanent change of partners.

Slowly Bobby approached Alex and Mike. His heart pounded loudly in his chest. He wasn't sure how she would react. After being separated from her for two weeks now, he couldn't read her anymore. It was too long since he'd looked into her brown eyes, too long since he'd seen her smile, too long since he'd felt her presence.

"Alex." He hesitantly stepped up to her desk.

"Hi." Alex smiled at him. She'd wanted to talk to him today. She was glad and surprised to have him standing at her desk. After her talk with Mike she'd done some serious thinking. What she and Bobby had was too good to throw away without a fight.

Why did she have to smile for the first time in two weeks when he was going to tell her they shouldn't be partnered together anymore? Or maybe she wasn't sincere, just smiling because she didn't want to make a scene with Carolyn and Mike around. "Can… can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure. Mike, I'll be right back. Try to stay out of trouble." She followed Bobby to one of the exam rooms and nodded at him as he held the door open for her.

Closing the door behind them he took a deep breath and turned to her. He kept the distance between them, knowing that her nearness would make him nervous and he might even back out. "I… I did some thinking about our situation. I wish I hadn't said what I said. I wish things were different. I'm sorry I hurt you, Alex." He really didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. "I asked Deakins to make the change permanent." He blurted out.

"What?" Surely she misunderstood his words.

"Mike is going to be your partner from now on and I'll be partnered up with Carolyn. That's the way it's going to be from now on."

"And you just made this decision on your own?" Her voice held a dangerous tone.

"I… I want you to be happy, Alex. You seem to like having him as a partner, like being with him. I… I won't..."

"Ooh, shut up! You want to be in control. Don't talk to me about my happiness. You should have talked to me about this!" Gone was her control. She wasn't going to hold back.

Shocked by her outburst he took a step back. "You seemed happy."

"Really? I thought you knew me! Clearly you have no clue. Why didn't you talk to me? Do you think this is your decision to make?"

He wasn't going to let her blame him for everything. "How can I talk to you when you refuse to even look at me? I tried to talk to you, I tried several times, but you blew me off every single time. What was I to do? Grab you and force you to talk to me?" Taking a step closer to her, he went on. "I see the contempt in your eyes. You don't want me anywhere near you." He waved his hand in Logan's direction. "You seem perfectly happy with him."

She ignored the jealous undertone she heard in his voice. That seemed less important at the moment. "I was angry Bobby. You really hurt me, telling me I was nothing. What do you think? I was just going to forget about it and go about in my merry way? I thought what we had was good and strong. You know as well as I do that every partnership has it's ups and downs." She'd closed the distance between them and was now in front of him, almost touching his chest. "Why won't you fight for us? Why don't you believe in us?" The anger in her voice had turned into sadness. She turned her back on him.

"Is this all one-sided? Am I the only one who wants to fight? Am I the only one who wants our partnership back? Am I the only one who believes there can be more" She heard him step closer, knowing he was about to talk. "You don't have to say it, Bobby. Your actions speak loud enough."

Silence, filled with tension, fell between them. Had he come to the wrong conclusion? Didn't she want to have Mike as a partner? Had he been misreading the signs? He looked at her, sitting on the table, her shoulder slumped, head bowed. He was willing to fight for their friendship. He just wasn't going to fight if she could be happier without him. "I want what is best for you."

"Step down your high horse. Don't tell me you're doing this for me. I don't buy it." The resentment was back in her voice. "You're doing this for you. This way you won't have to think about what you feel! Don't have to confront your feelings. Rather let life pass you by and soak in your own misery. What if you might start to feel things? Can't let that happen, can you? God forbid you might actually feel something!"

She looked up into his eyes and showed him how his actions hurt her. She didn't want to hide from him. If this is what he wanted then this is what he was going to get. "Run away, Bobby. Run like you've been doing your entire adult life. I'm not going to follow. I'm not going to fight when there's nothing left to fight for. I'm not going to be the only one."

"Tell me what to do, Alex." He wanted so much to reach out, to feel her skin beneath his, to take her hand in his. He needed to feel connected to her, but knew the connection was thorn when he'd spoken about finalizing the partnership.

"Damnit, Bobby, I can't! Can't you see that? I cannot tell you what to do or what to feel. Like I said, I can't be the only one. Unlike you I can't make decisions on someone else's behalf."

He closed the distance between them and hesitantly reached out to touch her hand. He watched how his finger traced her hand. It had been too long since he'd felt her. He didn't want to lose this, didn't want to lose her. "Tell me what you want." He whispered.

"I wanted you to fight for us, Bobby, but you won't." She briefly placed her hand on his cheek, before she pushed him back. Sliding from the table she passed him and walked to the door. "I'll agree to your request." Opening the door she paused before she walked out. "I'll miss you." She choked, her emotions getting the best of her. Quickly she walked out of the room before she would fall apart. She had just walked out of his life.

He had screwed up yet again and even worse than before. He thought this would be best for her. Instead he'd ruined any chance for them to get back together. He was such a fool. He just…. He hadn't known that she still wanted him, wanted their friendship. "Damnit!" He growled, grabbing the table and pushing it over.

TBC...


	9. Game, set and match

**A/N: Thank you for all the great ideas. I am going to go with Alex's apartment because it does seem appropiate. However, someone did point out to me that the angst got the better hand of the fic. I promised myself not to get into the angst and yet got so caught up in the writing and the arguing that I forget that. I now realize that the angst got a bit too much. That needed to change and because of that, there's this chapter. And I wanted to put the four of them in yet another environnement. I chose a tennis game. I know it may seem like all is forgotten, but it's not. There are still the undertones, but I needed some kind of reconsilliation to get Bobby and Alex to talk. It's a bit sudden, but I worked on it so it'll hopefully won't be too sudden after you've read the chapter. Enjoy! And thank you to the person who suggested the handcuffs. You made my day. How shocked would people be if I had gone with that! **

**Part nine**

Alex and Bobby had left the office separately. Deakins had let them, knowing neither would be of any use. He hoped they would work it out. He hadn't seen the conversation, he'd only heard Goren's swear and the thump from the table hitting the floor. Then he'd seen Goren grab his coat and stomp out. Five minutes later he saw Alex grabbing her coat and walk out of the bullpen.

Carolyn and Mike had seen the exchange. They'd talked about the conversation each of them had had with their new partners. Clearly Alex and Bobby had both come to a different conclusion and they had just witnessed the result of it. Mike and Carolyn decided to take control again. They had the rest of the day to work out how. Clearly they didn't want to be in the same room together anymore. How to get them together without giving one of them the chance to walk out? That would be tricky. The setting would have to be perfect.

"What date is it today?" Carolyn suddenly asked her partner.

"It's the 18th."

"We've got our game tonight. Remember, we agreed to it like a month ago."

He remembered. They had agreed to play a game of tennis. Alex and Bobby convinced that they could beat Mike and Carolyn. "You're right. Do you think they wanna play?"

"We're not going to give them a choice. To be on the safe side we'll change partners. Don't want Alex to start beating him with the racket."

Not wanting to risk that neither would show up for the game, Mike picked Bobby up and Carolyn Alex. It wasn't that difficult to get Bobby to come along. He wanted to talk to Alex. Alex, however, was a different story. Carolyn practically had to drag her out of her apartment.

The four of them stood on the tennis court. Bobby was in all black, black shorts and black t-shirt. It matched his mood perfectly.

Alex couldn't help but notice his lovely strong forearms. She'd always thought she saw too little of them on the job. Focus, she told herself. You are mad at him! Letting her eyes wander downwards she focused on his legs. They seemed strong legs, though a bit pale. Especially with the black clothes emphasizing the contrast. This was going to be the only look she was going to allow herself. Maybe this match was a good idea. She could blow off some of that anger that had built inside her and having Bobby nearby to do that, was a bonus.

Bobby smiled, he was watching Alex closely and caught her watching him. As she looked up he winked at her. He wasn't going to give up on them. He was going to fight for their friendship like she wanted him too. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. He was surprised Carolyn had gotten her here. He would try a different approach this time, throw her off guard. Maybe he could weaken her defences.

"Let's make things interesting." Mike suggested. "The couple that loses buys the winners' drinks for the rest of the evening."

"You call that interesting?" Carolyn chimed in. Surely he could come up with something better.

"Then you think of something." Mike shot back, turning his racket in his hand.

Going over several options in her mind, Carolyn couldn't come up with something better. "Fine, drinks it is."

"Good, then let's get going. Come on, Alex. We'll kick their butts!" Mike grabbed Alex's arm and walked her to their side of the court.

After a couple of minutes of practice swings they were ready for the match. The toss decided who was going to begin. Alex and Mike won and they agreed Mike would serve first. He served hard, but Carolyn was able to return the ball. Alex volleyed the ball with ease back on the court. Bobby, knowing Alex as well as he did, had already moved forward. With a backhand shot, the ball flew passed Alex, missing her only just.

"That all you got, Alex?" His plan was to provoke her, to get her to talk. Knowing her the way he did, he knew that eventually she would react.

Shooting him an evil glare, Alex ignored his comment and stepped to the left side of their field. Standing at the net, she kept her eyes on Bobby. Mike wanted to show off, let Goren know he had no chance. He threw the ball up and pushed off, hitting it perfectly in mid air.

Bobby had trouble returning the ball. He could give it no direction and it went straight for Alex. It was an easy point to make. However, she wanted to get back at him. Intercepting the ball at the net, she hit it, directing it at Bobby's leg. The ball hit the ground right in front of him, but bounced back against hit leg. Direct hit!

"That all _you_ got?" Alex eyed him. His reaction, a warm smile, confused her. Had he forgotten the conversation they'd had this afternoon?

"Ooh, you've seen nothing yet. I got a whole lot more." Bobby didn't miss a beat.

The game progressed steadily. Both teams won their service games. It was 5-5 sets and 30-30 in Alex's service game. She was serving against Bobby. She didn't have much power to put into it and went for a curve ball. Bobby had no problem with it. With ease he returned the ball to her. The ball went back and forth between just the two. Each hit increased in power. Bobby knew that strength wise he would win. The ball hit the ground mid court, Bobby quickly ran up to it, pushed off the ground and hit the ball hard with his forehand. It went straight for Alex stomach. Realizing there was no way for her to escape, she quickly put the racket in front of her stomach to avoid the ball. Angry at him for aiming at her body she yelled at him. "Watch it , Goren!"

"Just showing you that I am prepared to fight to get what I want." He referred to their argument.

"Didn't even know you knew how to fight." She snarled at him.

"I'm going to fight, Alex. I'm not ready to give up yet." He knew the others could hear him, but he didn't care. All he cared about was Alex's reaction. She'd stopped in her walk to the other side of the field. He saw her take a deep breath. Good, he thought, at least some of what he was saying was getting through to her.

She won the next point and at 40-40 she was up against Bobby again. Just like before the power of their hits grew as the ball went back and forth.

"Should we go and sit this one out?" Mike asked Carolyn as he watched the game progress.

"At least neither one has seriously injured the other."

"Yet." Mike added. He walked closer to the net and saw how Alex had a difficult backhand shot to make. But it gave Bobby the perfect change to win the point and he did exactly that with a drop shot, the ball dropping to the ground just behind the net.

"Really Alex, you disappoint me. Thought you had more in you." Alex mumbled something Bobby couldn't quite get, and he assumed that was probably for the best.

She was not going to let that remark pass by without some sort of revenge. She served again, knowing they had to make this point. She went for Carolyn's backhand, her weak side. Getting the ball back she hit it to Bobby's side. Not missing a beat he hit the ball with a nice forehand. Alex returned, placing the ball in the left back corner, making Bobby run for it and giving her the opportunity to run to the net, ready for a great volley. Bobby reached the ball just in time and seeing Alex and Mike at the net he tried to lob the ball over them. Because of his speed, the ball missed the accuracy and went down earlier than expected. Alex had the perfect opportunity for a smash. She did exactly that, smashed it hard in Bobby's direction. The ball bounced from the ground hard against his thigh, only missing his crotch by a few inches. Bobby groaned and fell to his knees. The ball had hit him hard.

"Wanna see more? Want me to try again, this time hitting jackpot?" She could play dirty if the situation called for it.

"Remind me to never piss her off." Mike said, looking at Goren laying on the ground.

"You okay, Bobby?" Carolyn approached him when he still hadn't gotten back on his feet.

"Do I look okay?" He groaned carefully getting up, his thigh hurt. He needed to keep Logan's words in mind. He should have known by now that when it came to winning games, Alex almost always won. Deciding that standing at the moment wasn't a good idea he kneeled on the floor.

Seeing he really was in pain, Alex crossed the court to their side. Just like before things had gotten out of hand. That is what they did to each other, keep pushing until the other couldn't push back anymore. "I'm sorry, Bobby." She apologized, crouching down beside him.

For the first time since the fight the two detectives were in close proximity. Mike and Carolyn guessed the game wasn't going to continue. They quietly left, leaving the two alone to deal with the pain and unspoken feelings.

"Remember how I relieved your backache after that basketball game?" He felt the pain starting to ease.

Alex nodded, knowing exactly what he'd done and the consequences of that one massage.

"Wanna massage me now?" He wiggled his eyebrows, knowing all too well she knew what he meant.

And for the first time in weeks she laughed in Bobby's presence. "Wouldn't you like that."

"Don't think I'd object." He quickly got serious again. This was his chance. His chance to try to mend things, his chance to show her he still cared. He wasn't going to let it pass him by. If he didn't do anything now, he might never get the chance again. He'd risked too much already. Gently he cupped her cheek in his big hand. "I've missed you, Alex." He softly said. "I wanted to fight, I… I just thought you didn't want me too." He raised her head, making her look in his eyes.

"I can't do this alone, Bobby." She whispered back at him.

"I know, just… let me try." He pleaded with her.

Why hadn't this happened a few days ago? Why couldn't he have said those words to her earlier? If he'd told her he wanted to try, wanted to work things out, things wouldn't have escaladed the way they had. She gave him a slight nod, she didn't think she could even refuse. She wasn't ready to give up hope again.

"Thank you." He took her hand in his and linked their fingers, needing to feel her to reassure himself that she was still with him.

TBC...


	10. Bridget

**A/N: This feels like a transition chapter. Needed to have some fluff, yet also spice things up a bit. One grammar question. The word choose. Is it with one 'o' when it's past tense or is it one 'o' when it's present. Because I chose for two 'o's in the present tense, but I wasn't sure and the grammar check doesn't say if either is wrong. For the next chapter Alex's nephew appears. However I'm not sure what the three of them should do. Comments, ideas, suggestions and grammar pointers are welcome. **

**Part ten**

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Alex asked as Bobby limped into her apartment.

"I'm sure I can manage. A massage would be nice though."

"Sorry, no can do. Don't have any oil."

"What about?" He left the sentence unfinished, knowing she would understand him.

"I threw it away."

A uncomfortable silence fell between them. Both remembered that evening vividly and everything that happened after that. "Want something to drink?" Alex asked, taking the easy way out.

"A beer please."

Alex raised her eyebrows at that, but Bobby didn't see. He was on his way to her couch. She grabbed two beers from her fridge and walked back into the living room. Bobby had found a seat on her couch. Handing him his beer, Alex looked around. Guessing that a slight distance between them was probably a good thing, she sat down in a chair. She felt Bobby's eyes on her, but kept her eyes on her beer.

"Alex?" He was hesitant, unsure of her reaction.

"Mmm..?" She kept her eyes averted.

"Can we… I missed you." He confessed. This got her attention and their eyes met. "Can you sit next to me? I want to feel you close to me again."

She pondered his plead and had to admit to herself that she wanted to feel him next to her also. They needed to restore their connection, maybe this could be the first step. Nodding her agreement she stood up and sat down next to him. She did leave some space between them.

He had another request, even more trickier than the other. He doubted she would agree, but he had to try, had to explain why. "I… I know we need to talk. I hoped we could put that aside for a moment." Seeing she was about the object, he silenced her by putting his finger on her lips. His face now mere inches from hers, he continued. "I'm not saying I don't want to talk about it. I feel like our connection has been ripped apart. We need to restore it. I… I need to feel it again, need to reassure myself. Can we just enjoy this evening, enjoy being together?"

She needed the same thing and with a small nod she showed her agreement. "I'd like that, Bobby."

Encouraged by her agreement he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer until they were side to side. She allowed it, but sat stiffly next to him. He'd never done this before, not even when their friendship had been strong.

He squeezed her shoulder softly. "Relax." After a few seconds he felt her muscles relax.

"What should we do?" Alex didn't want to sit in silence with him. In the past they could both find comfort in the quietness that sometimes fell between them. Now, that comfort wasn't there anymore.

"Let's see what's on TV."

A while later Bobby was on his fourth beer and Alex her second. They were watching a strange movie or so was Bobby's opinion. Quickly he realized it was a chick flick. Alex had argued since it was her apartment and her TV, it was her choice to make. He couldn't really argue with that.

"Secretly you're a romantic." Bobby said, watching the movie. He really didn't get why she liked it. She laughed at almost every joke. There were two men fighting over the same woman. One, named Daniel, appeared to be a jerk. The blond chubby woman seemed to know that, but was nevertheless attracted to the man. The other guy, called Mark, was the silent type, though slightly arrogant. The woman had just dumped Daniel and was now looking for a new job. Curious about her taste in men, he wanted to know which one she would choose. "Who would you choose?"

"What?" Alex asked, startled by Bobby's voice. She'd been too focused on the movie. She'd seen it one time before and still liked it. It was the silliness of Bridget's thoughts and actions combined with a feeling she knew all to well that made her like this movie.

"Which one of the two would you choose?" He asked, nodding toward the TV.

"Well there's Daniel, who is a jerk and has some serious commitment issues, but who's just really sexy. He's charming as hell, he knows it and knows how to use it. Plus the fact that I've always had a weak spot for Hugh Grant. And Colin Firth, who has terrific eyes. Love that he's so tall and seems to be the perfect gentleman. His eyes, they can make a girl melt. His body, his eyes they do all the talking. He doesn't have to say anything to get attention. He's charming too, but in a underrated way. I would go for Mark Darcy, because he's reliable." Her eyes went back to the screen, indicating the conversation was over for now.

Several beers later, most of them Bobby consumed, they saw how Mark kissed his Bridget in the middle of the street. Alex smiled at the happy ending and stretched her stiff muscles. Sitting up, she had been leaning against Bobby, she looked at him. He was emptying his beer, she really didn't know how many he'd consumed so far. She really didn't feel like dealing with a drunk Bobby.

"Are you attracted to him because he's charming and outgoing?" He suddenly asked.

Sometimes she wished she could get inside his head. She didn't know who he was talking about and where exactly that question came from. They hadn't been talking about anybody. As a matter of fact, they hadn't been talking at all, just watching the movie. So, where was this question coming from? "Who are you talking about?"

"Mike."

She gave a frustrated sigh. What happened to putting things aside for now? Or did that only count for his feelings and issues. Hers apparently weren't important. She was already losing her temper. "I thought we were going to enjoy being together tonight and not talk about… stuff."

"This isn't stuff." He argued.

"Really?" She shifted away from him.

"Are you gonna answer my question?" He started to sound demanding.

She was not going to do this. "No, not when you explicitly told me not to discuss the past few weeks with you. If you want to go down this road, you're going to have to answer my questions too. Like why you can't stand the thought of me seeing Mike, or why you're jealous. Don't start this Bobby, unless you're willing to finish it." She warned him, hoping she was getting through to him.

"I'm right, aren't I? You like his charm. He's got you wrapped around his finger."

That was the alcohol talking and she knew it. She was not going to do this. "Shut up, Goren."

"What? Truth to hard for you?" He badgered her.

"Shut up! Don't do this or you're going to lose the one chance you had." She stalked out of the room straight into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

TBC...


	11. Introducing Lucy

**A/N: I know I said nephew, but I realized Alex's nephew would be too young for any funny remarks. So I went for a niece of six years old. I thought it would be easier. I had difficulty writing this chapter, but I don't think it's too bad. No promises about the next chapter yet, 'cause I seem to change my mind about stuff sometimes, just like the nephew turning into a niece. Anyway, enjoy and remarks, suggestions, ideas and grammar related stuff are welcome. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas to all!**

**Part eleven**

Opening the front door Alex greeted her visitors. "Good morning." She said to her niece and sister-in-law. Today she was going to baby sit her niece Lucy, the daughter of her oldest brother. Lucy was six years old and a sweet girl. Alex loved spending time with her.

"Hi, aunt Alex." Lucy greeted her favourite aunt.

"Hey, Alex. Thanks for doing this." Laura watched her daughter step into the apartment.

"No problem. You and Jason have fun."

"I'll see you two tomorrow evening. Bye sweetie." Laura kissed her daughter goodbye.

"What are we doing to do?" Laura excitedly asked her aunt.

"I don't know yet, but how about we go into the living room."

Skipping into the living room, Lucy came to a sudden halt. She quickly turned to her aunt. There was a stranger on the couch. "Who's this?" Lucy stepped closer to the couch.

Alex smiled at the image Bobby represented. He was too big for the couch. Waking up this morning she'd been surprised to find him on her couch. She'd expected him to leave. Some part of her was happy he hadn't left. Maybe there was still hope. She'd tried to wake him up, but he just rolled over and started snoring. After a few tries she'd given up. He probably could use the sleep. Now it was time for him to wake up and leave.

"This is Bobby. I work with him. Why don't you wake him up?"

Lucy looked from Bobby to Alex. "Can I?" Her eyes widened. Her mother never allowed her to wake up her father. She always said she was too enthusiastic. Lucy didn't know what she meant by that. Everybody always woke up when she did the wake up calls.

"Sure. Just be really loud otherwise he won't hear." She couldn't help but smile. With the drinks he'd had, he probably wouldn't be happy with the way her niece was going to wake him. She could still remember how Lucy had woken her up one time. She'd sat up and had almost reached for her gun, ready to kill whoever was yelling.

Lucy leaned over Bobby. "Good morning!" She yelled in his ear.

Startled awake Bobby immediately sat up. The quick move made him aware of his headache. He rubbed his eyes and groaned. Slowly opening his eyes he saw Alex and a little girl next to her. They were both laughing.

"Good morning, Bobby." Alex smiled sweetly at him.

"Hello." Lucy greeted Bobby with a small wave.

He realized he was still at Alex's apartment. After his stupid behaviour he'd decided to stay, hoping they could talk in the morning. "Morning." He mumbled.

"I'll get you some coffee." She'd seen him flinch. His head was probably bothering him. Sensing her niece was about to ask Bobby questions, she guided her with him. Bobby could probably use the time.

Returning to the living room with a coffee, Alex handed Bobby the cup. She'd send her niece to put her stuff in the guest room. She'd have some time with Bobby. In stead of sitting down she kept standing.

Drinking his coffee, Bobby thought of what to say. He needed to apologize, that he knew. "I'm sorry about last night, Alex."

Instead of accepting his apology she ignored him. "You need to leave, as you could see I've got company."

"Who is she?" He rubbed his eyes.

"Her name is Lucy and she's my niece. Daughter of my oldest brother." Alex explained.

Before Bobby could say more, Lucy walked back into the living room. "Hi, I'm Lucy." She sat down on the couch next to Bobby. "Is auntie Alex mad at you?"

Bobby coughed. The little girl was rather frank. "I…euuh…" He tried to come up with a good response.

Lucy, apparently oblivious to Bobby's attempts went on. "Cause daddy had to sleep on the couch once 'cause mommy was mad."

Seeing Bobby's face Alex tried to hold in her laughter, but failed. Laughing out loud she caught Bobby's glare, causing her to laugh even more. She wasn't going to help him out. This was just too much fun.

"Eeuuh…yes, but…"

"Are you aunt Alex's boyfriend?"

His mind needed time to catch up with the questions. He was still trying to answer the first question. How he wanted to answer her second question with a yes, but he wasn't even close to a yes. Far from it. "No.., not exactly."

Alex was uncertain what his answer meant. Lucy simply continued. "Are you going with us today?"

"I don't know if…"

"Can he, aunt Alex? Please?" The little girl pleaded with her aunt. She liked her aunt's friend even though he didn't talk much and didn't look so good and he seemed really tall.

Seeing both Bobby and Lucy's expectant gaze, she wanted to say yes. It would be nice to spend a day with Bobby without it turning into an argument. "Sure. You still have some clothes here. Why don't you go take a shower?" She told Bobby.

He thanked her with that shy little smile that always made her smile. "Go." She said softly, nodding towards the door that led to the bathroom.

"This is gonna be fun!" Lucy smiled. "Can we go to the zoo?"

"Sure. How about we go make some breakfast first." With her niece she walked back to the kitchen. She hoped she'd made the right decision. She was going to go to the zoo with her niece and Bobby. It was sounded kinda domestic. And what had he meant with his answer. He wasn't exactly her boyfriend? What did that mean? He wasn't her boyfriend at all! He couldn't even admit he was attracted to her! Well she was going to put that aside for the moment and enjoy the day. This could be good for them, since yesterday's attempt to just spend time together had been ruined by his drinking and jealousy. Surely there wasn't going to be anything today that was going to bother him. Or would he get jealous of the animals in the zoo if she gave them too much attention? Smiling at her own thoughts, she shook her head. She would see what they day was going to bring.

TBC...


	12. The Zoo

**A/N: Thanks for the people who reviewed The Belt. Glad you liked it. This will probably be the last update this week because ffnet will be down this weekend, so no updates then. Just a bit of fun with the un-couple here. Should I write the next chapter with Lucy, Bobby and Alex at the end of their day out...since Lucy is staying with Alex I could have the three of them back in her apartment and do something there or just leave it at this and start the new chapter with Lucy back at her parents? What do you think? Suggestions, ideas and grammar stuff are welcome.**

**Part twelve**

Arriving at the zoo, Bobby and Alex weren't really comfortable with each other. They had hardly spoken a worth. Lucy, however, made up for that by talking almost constantly. At the entrance there were several photographers taking pictures of the visitors. As expected, the three of them were also chosen for a picture. Bobby stepped aside, feeling this was for Alex and her niece. The photo shouldn't include him, he wasn't family.

After the first picture of Alex and Lucy, Lucy called to Bobby. "Come here Bobby. You gotta go on the picture too!"

Reluctantly he stepped to them. He took his place next to Alex with Lucy in front of them. He stood stiffly and the photographer commented on it. Alex stepped closer to Bobby until their sides touched. All three smiled for the photo.

Lucy then stepped aside. "Now just the two of you." She walked over to the photographer and whispered something in his ear.

Bobby and Alex were standing next to each other, both very aware of the other. Alex knew her niece and suspected that whatever she had whispered in the man's ear it wouldn't be good.

"Why don't you put her arm around her?" The photographer suggested to Bobby.

Bobby, shocked by the suggestion, shook his head. It probably wasn't a good idea. Alex sighed and grabbed his arm. The man needed to learn to stop thinking every once in a while. "For once Bobby, go with the flow." She put his arm around her shoulder, embracing him with an arm around his waist.

Surprised by her touch, he turned his head to look at her, just as the picture was taken. "Again." The photographer said. "You were looking at her, not at me. Just look at the camera for a few seconds. After that you can stare all you want."

The second try was successful and they were handed a piece of paper with the number for their photo's. Ready to pick up in a couple of hours. They were on their way again. Lucy wanted to go to the African Plains. The giraffes were one of her favourite animals. Lucy was excitedly talking about all she knew about the animals, when a yell from the distance interfered.

"Lexie!" A man called.

The three of them turned towards the sound. Bobby was surprised as he saw a big smile appearing on Alex's face. "Jason? Ooh my God!" She yelled.

The man, tall – though smaller than Bobby- had black hair, wore jeans and a black leather jacket. He scooped Alex up in his arms and hugged her tightly. Bobby wondered who this guy was. Whoever it was, he sure was good friends with Alex…no, _Lexie_. He ordered himself that he was not going to be jealous. He could not afford Alex to get angry at him again. No, he was going to be polite and nice and ignore the fact that that man was holding her in his arms the way he wanted to hold her. Nope, he was not going to get into that.

He suddenly felt a little hand in his. Looking down he saw Lucy had come to stand next to him. They presented a cute picture and it could be taken wrongly by a stranger like Jason. With his arm still around Alex he turned to Bobby and Lucy.

"You married and you didn't tell me?" He exclaimed. Walking up to Bobby he shook the man's hand. "You," he continued. " are a very lucky man. She's terrific. I'm Jason, by the way."

"Thank you." Bobby smiled. "I am Bobby and yes I feel very lucky." Looking at Lucy, Bobby introduced her to Jason.

"How long have you two been married?"

Intervening quickly, Bobby answered the question before Alex could. "Six years now and I have to say, it gets better every year. How do you know Alex?"

Jason laughed and looked at Alex. "Lexie and I were colleagues at Vice. We had some great times, didn't we?" For a moment Jason seemed to reminisce those passed times. "That was until Lexie here decided she wanted to play with the big boys and left us. Remember your farewell party?"

Alex actually blushed at the memories. Her farewell party had been… a bit more than expected and she'd been very, very drunk. It was better left unsaid. "Let's not get into that, okay Jason?"

He got the message loud and clear and focused back on Bobby and Lucy again. "Many guys at Vice asked her on a date. She refused them all, telling us it wasn't wise to date a colleague. She was great though and I think she still is. Cherish what you have. Why didn't you tell me you were married?" He asked again, this time serious.

Alex wanted to clear up that she was not married to Bobby. However, she couldn't. Bobby interfered yet again. "We wanted to keep things low profile. We had a small wedding with just family and a few friends. Nothing big, it was the way we wanted it."

"Jason!" A blond woman called, waving at Jason.

"I gotta go. Nice to meet you, Bobby and Lucy. And you..." He pulled Alex into a hug again. "we've gotta meet up. It's been too long, Lexie."

"I know. Take care." She watched her friend walk away to his wife and child.

"Lexie, shall we continue to the giraffes?" Bobby asked, emphasizing 'Lexie'.

Glaring at him she warned him. "Watch it, Bobby. I'll get back at you."

"Bring it on, Mrs. Goren." He had to say it for the sound of it and to tease her.

Lucy who had been silent the entire time, finally chimed in. "Then you can be my uncle Bobby. I like that! Come." She tugged on Bobby's hand and reached for Alex's. The three of them walked to the giraffes, Lucy in the middle, her hand in one of each of them. They looked like a little family.

Halfway through the park they bumped into yet another familiar person. It was Lewis, Bobby's friend. He was visiting the park with his nephew Tommy.

"Lewis!" Bobby enthusiastically called when he saw his friend at the gorillas.

"Bobby, never expected to see you here." Lewis and Tommy walked over to them.

"Tommy, give me five!" Bobby held up his hand for the kid. He knew Tommy fairly well. Lewis' sister had lost her husband when Tommy was still very young and Lewis had taken the father role upon him. So when Bobby hung out at Lewis' place Tommy was often there.

"Detective Alex?" Lewis exclaimed as he saw his favourite detective. "How are you?"

"Good and you Lewis?"

"Terrific. You look beautiful as always."

Alex laughed. Lewis always flirted with her and she liked it, it was harmless. "Lewis this is my niece Lucy."

"Hi Lucy, this here is Tommy."

Sensing the adults were about to start some boring talk, the children skipped off to take a closer look at the gorillas.

"So what are you two doing here together?"

"Well Lewis, this is a zoo so it would be logical that we are here to see the animals." Alex explained, thinking it was obvious.

Lewis waited patiently for more information. His eyes went from Alex to Bobby and back. Since neither was very forth coming he tried again. "And why are _you _here, Bobby?"

"Because Lucy asked."

Another silence fell in which Lewis hoped they would say something. Again nothing came and he tried again. "But why are you here _together_… as a couple?"

At the word couple Alex and Bobby briefly glanced at each other.

"It was just a coincidence." She stated.

"Sure it was." Lewis said not believing a word. "Well it's time for me and Tommy to get on our way again. I cannot wait here for you two to admit the truth. Bobby, I'll see you next Thursday." He shook his friend's hand. "And Detective Alex, it was a pleasure."

TBC...


	13. KISSING

**A/N: Slightly shorter chapter this time, but it seemed a good place to end. Sorry it took longer, but I got side tracked with my drabbles. For those who read them, I'm not sure if there will be a fourth part. I don't really know what should happen. This chapter I had some fun with Bobby and Alex. Lucy is just a nice character to point stuff out to Bobby and Alex. Ideas for the next chapter would be welcome. I think there should be a talk... maybe have Carolyn or Mike call or maybe Laura(Lucy's mother)? Grammar related stuff is also welcome. **

**Part thirteen**

Exhausted after their day in the zoo, Alex, Lucy and Bobby returned to Alex's apartment. Alex thought Bobby would go his own after they'd left the zoo, but he'd just followed them. And here they were in her apartment…yet again. Lucy still appeared to be full of energy.

"Can we order pizza, aunt Alex?" Lucy excitedly asked.

"Sure." She smiled at her niece. Alex placed her car keys on the near by table and walked over to the phone.

"What kind of pizza do you want, uncle Bobby?" Lucy walked up to her new friend.

After running into Jason, Lucy had decided on calling Bobby, uncle Bobby. At first Alex had tried to tell her Bobby wasn't her uncle. Realizing that Lucy was simply ignoring her, Alex had given up. She found that Bobby liked to be called uncle Bobby and he seemed to be bonding with Lucy. He was great with kids. She had almost forgotten their arguments today and just wanted things to be all right again.

Today she had come to realize that maybe she should be glad that Bobby hadn't confessed his feelings for her. Maybe it would be better to stay friends. Today had been a good example, as friends they got along great. However when it came to their feelings they seemed to be on different sides, unable to built a bridge between them. That probably was a sign. Maybe it would be a good idea to talk to him about that. She dialled the number to order the pizzas. She didn't need to hear what Bobby wanted to have, she already knew.

After placing their order, Alex remained in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, for a few more minutes to decide what to do. The subject of her thoughts appeared in the kitchen. He'd been relaxed, funny and even flirting with her the entire day. Throughout the day he had touched her, placed his hand on the small of her back, touching her shoulder, grabbing her hand briefly. Not that she didn't like it, she did, but it seemed to… sudden. Yet she had to admit that she liked this side of him. If only he could be like that more often.

He gave her a soft smile and approached her. With his long strides he closed the distance between them in a few steps. He stopped in front of her, almost touching her and placed his hands on the counter, next to her waist.

"Thank you." He whispered in her ear.

"For what?" She tried to keep her voice even, to show his closeness wasn't effecting her. She wondered if she succeeded.

"This… spending the day with you and Lucy." He shifted on his feet. "I… it's been a long time since…" He actually didn't want to voice that thought, but Alex probably got the drift. "I've missed this. I've missed how good we are together." He paused. His hands drifted from the counter to her waist. "I've missed you." His right hand left her waist to put her hair behind her ear.

She let herself enjoy his closeness and the hand on her waist and the one that was still mid air after he'd put her hair behind her ear. She took it in hers and he started to lean in. Not knowing if this was wise, Alex's mind searched for a way out.

"Aunt Alex, uncle Bobby, are you two kissing in there?" Lucy called from the living room.

Startled by the little girl's voice they practically jumped apart.

"Were you?" Lucy asked, entering the kitchen.

"No." She gave her niece an evil glare.

"Really?" Lucy, tilted her head and looked from Alex to Bobby. They were saved from further scrutiny by the door bell. Their pizzas had arrived.

"Excuse me." Alex mumbled, quickly escaping her kitchen to answer the door.

"So…" Lucy tried again. For a moment she stayed quiet, her eyes focused on Bobby.

Bobby actually started to feel uncomfortable with the little girl's stare. He was a MCS detective, he was tough, caught bad guys with his unique interrogation techniques. It was as if Lucy knew about his methods. The stare was becoming too uncomfortable. "I… euuh… maybe…"

"Do you want to be her boyfriend?"

Shocked, that was what he was. Shocked that such a little girl could ask such a question, shocked that she was actually right. He hoped Alex was going to be back soon to safe him. "I'm not sure if…"

Lucy began to giggle. "You do! Hihihi. Uncle Bobby and aunt Alex sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Walking back with two pizza boxes in her hands, she found Bobby with Lucy in his arms, tickling her making the little girl giggle loudly.

"What's going on here?"

Bobby quickly covered Lucy's mouth with his hand, preventing the girl to say anything he didn't want. "Nothing."

Alex shrugged, placed the pizzas on the table and got some plates.

"Let's just keep this our secret, okay?" Bobby whispered to Lucy before he stepped back from her.

With a serious look and a clear nod Lucy showed her agreement. Bobby's secret would be safe with her. But she could tell her mother because it was a secret that Alex couldn't know.

"Come on, guys. Let's eat." Alex placed the plates on the table and sat down. Bobby and Lucy quickly joined her.

TBC...


	14. Confessions part one

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody. I don't think any of my fics have ever gotten this many reviews. So part of this chapter was already known because I hinted at it in the previous one. Also I thought it was time for some confessions otherwise they would be dancing around the subject forever. So this could be seen as confessions part one. Let me know what you think, because it's important for me to stay in character with confessions like this. Ideas, remarks and suggestions are always welcome. Even though I don't use all the suggestions, I do always appreciate them and if it's possible I'll try to work them in my fic if it's possible. Enjoy!**

**Part fourteen**

On the evenings that Lucy was with Alex, Laura always gave a call to check up on her daughter. Lucy was in the guest room talking to her mother, leaving Alex and Bobby alone in the living room.

"Has she always been so…" Bobby was searching for the right word to describe Lucy.

"Obnoxious? I think you bring out the best in her."

"Actually I was more thinking in the line of chatty." He ignored her remark. Looking at the way the guest room was, Bobby asked his next question. "What are you doing tomorrow?" This time he wanted to hear if Alex wanted him to spend the day with them. He guessed that this morning she felt obligated and she hadn't want to disappoint Lucy. Now he needed to know what she wanted.

"Why?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well…" He started, trying hard not to start stumbling.

"Aunt Alex, mommy wants to talk to you." Lucy entered the living room, handing the phone to her aunt.

"Sorry. I'll be right back." Alex apologized and went into the kitchen.

"Are you holding out on me?" Laura immediately asked after the exchange of greeting.

"Euuh…no?"

"Then why did you not tell me about_ uncle _Bobby?"

Alex groaned. She could count on her niece to tell the family about Bobby.

"Who is Bobby? Is he your partner?" The name did sound familiar to Laura.

"Yes." Alex knew she was going to regret every talking to Laura about her partner. Hearing the scream from the other side, Alex held the phone away from her ears until it stopped.

"So are you two together now?"

"No." Was Alex's curt reply.

"But he is your boyfriend?" She was confused. What exactly was Alex relationship with this Bobby?

"Excuse me? What are you talking about? If I had a boyfriend, it would be nice if I knew."

"But Lucy said he's your boyfriend or something like that." Laura tried to remember her daughter's exact words.

"You should know by now not to believe everything she says."

"Ooh, I remember. She told me that Bobby told her he wanted to be your boyfriend."

"I doubt it." Bobby would never say a thing like that to her niece.

"But you do like him, don't you?" Laura remember how Alex talked about her partner. She'd always been curious to meet him. "Am I going to meet him tomorrow?"

"I don't think so."

"But I wanna meet him and I think David would too."

"Don't even go there, okay." Alex warned her sister-in-law. Apparently Laura thought she was about to introduce Bobby as her boyfriend to the family. "I'll see you tomorrow evening. Bye."

A couple of hours later, Lucy was finally in bed, giving Alex and Bobby the chance to talk. A much needed talk. Bobby, who had first taken his seat in a chair, now sat down next to his partner.

"Look Alex, I'm sorry about what happened last night. I… I was a jerk." He started.

"Yes you were." She wasn't going to object to his words.

"I wanna explain." Honestly he wasn't sure if he truly wanted to explain his actions, his reasoning, to her, but he knew she needed an explanation. He knew they needed it before they could move forward. "Remember how you said I'd become more hesitant and I'd changed around you?"

Alex nodded, anxious to hear his explanation.

"I've been dealing with some stuff lately. Stuff that's shaking up my footing, so to speak. I've been questioning it, wondering what to do, weighing the pros and cons. In the end I realized that I needed to feel, let my heart do the talking. Rationalizing to solve my… issues didn't seem to work. You know that when it comes to my feelings I get confused, sometimes even insecure. I start to doubt myself. I tried to hide it, tried to push it away. However at times it would surface, because in truth I couldn't really push it aside. I thought more about it, tried to listen to my heart, but my mind had the upper hand. I just felt so confused about everything."

She'd listened to every word, but she still had no clue what he was talking about. Sensing that Bobby was probably going to keep talking in riddles, she interrupted him. Gently she placed her hand on his. "Can you tell me what it was that confused you?"

"You." He said without any hesitation. He locked eyes with her for a brief moment. "My feelings for you." He admitted, this time looking away.

She was quiet for a moment, trying to process his words. She was the one who had left him feeling insecure and confused. His feelings for her had caused a battle between his heart and mind. She didn't know what to say.

Bobby took her lack of reaction as rejection. He could have destroyed their partnership with his confession. He could have just lost… her. Standing up he put distance between them. It would be easier to deal with rejection without her body close by.

She was not fooled. She could read him like no other and knew why he was distancing himself. However she needed to hear more from him.

"I… I was jealous." He turned his back to her. It was easier that way. "Sometimes it just came it surface and when it did… I said things I shouldn't have said. I didn't like how you and Mike acted. You seemed… close and I felt like I was losing you. At the diner I lashed out and I felt horrible." He ran a hand through his hair.

"I decided to listen to my mind again and that's when I decided to end our partnership. I really thought it was for the best. I thought it would be better to distance myself from you. Hoping it would make me forget about you, thinking that you would be happier with him. I was jealous Alex, and… I didn't know how to deal with that."

Continuing he started pacing. "Reasoning and logic, that's how I deal with stuff in my life. That's how I stay… balanced and focused. You… you changed that. You seemed to knock that right from under me. You make me feel… unbalanced."

She couldn't help but smile at his words. She knew, in Bobby's world that was quite an accomplishment.

Afraid that he might have insulted her he continued. "Not… not that feeling unbalanced is a bad thing. It's not… it's new and I didn't know how to deal with it. My feelings for you are very strong. I didn't know how to deal with it. I guess I didn't handle things that well."

"No you didn't." Again she wasn't going to deny the truth. She walked up to him, placing her hand on his strong back she felt his tense muscles. "Why didn't you talk to me?"

"Because I didn't think you wanted to hear it." His voice was soft. Her hand on his back felt nice. He felt the urge to turn around and take her in his arms.

"Why not?" She gently rubbed his lower back, knowing that he needed the connection as much as she did.

"Because we're partners and… you never hinted that you wanted to hear it."

"How about when I asked you to give me one good reason to go out with Mike? I even asked if you wanted it to be you. You ran, Bobby." Her hand on his back stilled.

"I know." He still hadn't turned towards her. His shoulders were now slumped. He felt defeated. "It was too… confronting. I can't compete with Mike… I won't." He reached behind him, his hand searching and finding hers.

"Who said anything about competing?" She squeezed his hand, letting him know that she wasn't going anywhere. She also hoped it would reassure him.

"What about you, Alex? You know how I feel. How do you feel about my… confession?"

TBC...


	15. Confessions part two

**A/N: Thanks again for the great reviews. Some of you suggested that Laura should meet Bobby, so there will be a meeting. Don't know how yet, but it will be there. So here's Alex's confession... maybe not the way you like it, but it's just too much fun to have a twist in the road. Just like always suggestions, ideas and grammar stuff is welcome. Enjoy!**

**Part fifteen**

Unlike him, Alex didn't move away from him. She acknowledged the importance of staying connected with him. Yet she knew, her words weren't going to be easy for him.

"Your… confession isn't a complete surprise to me. I suspected you were confused. Your… remarks and reactions made me doubt my suspicions. I guessed you were jealous, but I wasn't quite sure."

She was silent for a moment, trying to put some order in her thoughts. "I guess we both don't deal well with our feelings. And that concerns me."

"Alex." Bobby interrupted her. He could guess where she was going with it and he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. "I need to know how you feel." He turned around, needing to see her.

For the first time that evening Alex felt insecure and she tried to back away from him. Bobby surprised her by quickly grabbing her hand, stopping her from walking away. "Tell me." He pleaded with her.

"I've fallen in love with you." Never before had she spoken those words out loud.

His heart skipped a beat at her words. This was something he'd wanted to hear her say for so long, but never expected to actually hear. She loved him. He ignored the sudden urge to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless.

"I've felt like this for a while now. I'm surprised you never noticed."

He didn't have an answer to that. Maybe he didn't want to see it, maybe she was better at hiding it than he was, or just maybe he wasn't as good in reading her as he thought he was.

"I was never sure how you felt, but lately I guessed you felt the same. The fact that we are partners doesn't bother me much. I know we can deal with that. But… these last couple of weeks have given me much to think about. You really hurt me when you didn't want to fight. It hurt me that you just walked away."

"Alex.."

"I need to say this, Bobby." And she knew, he probably wouldn't want to hear. "It made me see that when it comes to our feelings, we hurt each other. We've had arguments in a way we've never had before. We just keep hurting each other. Maybe going down that road isn't the best thing to do. Maybe we should keep things like they are, partners and… good friends. Look at today. We had fun, we enjoyed each other's company, it was nice. I missed that. It made me think that maybe we're better off just being friends."

Her words weren't a complete surprise, but that didn't mean he liked them. She wanted him to fight. He would never forget those words. He wasn't about to give up now. "What if I don't want us to be just friends?"

"You're not the only one who has a say in this." She walked away from him and sat down again on the couch.

"I know and I'm not saying I have." He hurried to say, not wanting to get into another fight with her.

As he had found out recently, sometimes reasoning didn't always work. Sometimes you had to listen to your heart. Reasoning that was what she was doing now. He needed her to feel. He knew of only one way.

Slowly he approached her. Standing next to her, he held his hand out to her. Questioningly she watched him. He gave her a slight nod, urging her to trust him and take his hand. Feeling her hand in his, he pulled her up and giving her no time to step away he enveloped her in a warm embrace. His arms were around her, one around her waist, the other around her shoulder with his hand in her hair at the nape of her neck. Gently he pressed her forehead against his chest.

He was delighted when he felt her arms go around his waist and heard a soft sigh. "Do you feel it, Alex? Do you feel how good this is? How right this is?" Letting the words sink in and enjoy the closeness, he kept silent. He placed a soft kiss on her hair.

"I'm not giving up, Alex, not when it feels so right. You wanted me to fight and I will." Pulling back he cupped her face in his big hands. Closing the distance he searched her eyes for any indication she didn't want this. Seeing none, he closed his eyes as his lips tentatively brushed hers. Once, twice before he pressed his lips on hers. He wanted her for feel how good it felt. He was sure she felt the sparks the moment their lips touched.

Reluctantly he pulled back when he felt her wanting to deepen the kiss. Tracing her jaw with his finger he placed a kiss on her forehead. He saw she was still processing everything. "I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams." He whispered. Walking away from her, he grabbed his coat and left.

Minutes later Alex was still rooted on the same spot, trying to process everything. This wasn't like Bobby to be so impulsive. She touched her lips, closed her eyes and remembered that sweet, soft kiss. It felt so right, his lips felt so good. To be enveloped by his big body with his arms around her made her feel so cared for and relaxed. He was going to fight and it was what she had wanted him to do. But she wasn't sure if their love for each other was enough.

Suddenly she remembered his words. Was he planning to come by again tomorrow? Before she could contemplate his words the sudden ringing of the phone disturbed her thoughts.

"Eames." She answered, greeting the caller in a somewhat distant voice.

"Hey, Alex." Carolyn called to check up on her friend. "I wanted to know how things are since the tennis match."

"I don't know." Alex sighed, dropping down on the couch. She truly didn't know where they stood.

"What's wrong?" Concern was clearly heard in Carolyn's words.

"I wish I know. I don't know where we stand. We talked and told each other how we felt."

"And?" Carolyn was anxious to hear it.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? How can that be? What did you say?"

"He told me he had feelings for me. That I made him feel unbalanced. And I told him I was in love with him." Alex explained to her friend.

"And you didn't start making out immediately?"

"Well…"

"You did?" Carolyn yelled into the phone.

"We kissed."

"And?"

"It was…" Alex had a dreamy smile on her face, not realizing that Carolyn couldn't see it. "amazing."

"So what's the problem?"

"Maybe this isn't the right thing to do, maybe we're better off as friends. I thought I had it all figured out and then he just… makes me feel out of control. I just don't know what to do."

"Have you considered that now that this might become real, you're getting scared?"

Alex didn't have a answer to that question. Was Carolyn right, was she scared now that there was a chance?

"Just think about it, okay? I'll see you Monday. Bye."

Without saying goodbye, Alex put the phone down. She had a lot to think about tonight.

TBC...


	16. Walk in the park

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. The meeting the family bit has turned out shorter than I expected, but I didn't want to drag things out. I am completely clueless as to what should happen next. I don't even have an idea in my mind so ideas would be welcome. A bit of nice fluff in this chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

**Part sixteen**

After a night with hardly any sleep, Alex was up and making breakfast for her much to cheery niece. Lucy had jumped on her bed and woken her up with a loud _Good morning_. She was so not in the mood to be cheerful. The entire night she'd thought about Bobby, their kiss and what the wise thing to do would be. She'd tossed and turned and finally getting to sleep, she was waken up by her niece.

She heard knocking on her front door and left her kitchen to open it. She took a deep breath and felt her heart beating hard in her chest. She wasn't sure how to act around him and she knew, without a doubt, it would be Bobby on the other side of the door.

"Good morning." He said to her as she'd opened the door. He saw the dark circles under her eyes and knew she'd hardly slept.

Stepping into her apartment he looked around for Lucy. Seeing no sign of the little girl, he stepped closer to Alex. "Hi." He whispered, giving her a soft kiss on the lips, before walking into her kitchen.

He had decided to show her how it could be. They had gotten off to a bumpy start, but he would show her how good it could be. He would put everything they'd said to each other aside for a while. He was going to focus on her.

Alex was confused by his behaviour. What was he doing? Regaining some of her composure she followed him into her kitchen. There he was poring himself a cup of coffee as if it was just another day. Just as she was about to speak, her niece came running into the kitchen.

"Uncle Bobby!"

"Hey, little one." He ran his hand over Lucy's hair.

"What are we going to do today?"

"We are going to the park, then the movies and tonight I'll cook you two dinner."

"Cool." Lucy said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Alex realized she apparently had no say in it.

"Let's have some breakfast before we go." Bobby finished preparing their breakfast.

At the park they bumped into one of Lucy's friend and the girl's parents. With Lucy off playing with her friend and knowing the parents were keeping an eye on them, Bobby took Alex for a little walk.

Alex felt on edge. Bobby kept in contact with her, sometimes his hand was on her lower back, guiding her. Other times he simply took her hand in his as if it was the most natural thing to do. She just couldn't get comfortable with him.

"It's okay to relax." He said as he took her hand in his and squeezed lightly.

"I can't." She admitted.

"Why not?" He pulled her a little closer, 'till their shoulders touched.

"You know why."

"Enlighten me." He entwined their fingers.

"I…" She closed her mouth again. She tried to find the right words. "You're confusing me."

Nearing a bench, Bobby guided them to it. Sitting down he took her other hand in his. For a brief moment he simply stared at her.

Standing between his legs, she looked back into his brown eyes. She loved the gently and open look he was giving her. "I don't know what to do with this." There was a helplessness in her voice and eyes.

"Alex," he whispered her name. Letting go of her hands, he put them on her hips. "Why do you have to do anything at all. Why can't you enjoy this?"

"Because I need to know. I wanna…"

He silenced her by putting his finger on her lips. "Look Alex, I know you're confused and I know I'm probably the cause. I also realize that in a way you're scared… of the possibilities."

He tugged on her hand to get her to sit down. When she did, he turned to her. "I know there's still a lot to talk about. I'm not dismissing that. I just feel like we're too focused on what has gone wrong and how we hurt each other. Can't we.." His hand played with her hair. "Can't we just focus on what we feel for each other and how good this feels?" Wanting to remind her how good it felt he gentle kissed her.

This time it was Alex who pulled back when he tried to deepen the kiss. "Don't do this, Bobby." Her voice though soft was serious.

"Why not?" He asked, keeping her close.

"Because you're deliberately throwing me off balance and it's not fair."

"Maybe, but you're not letting yourself see the whole picture. You're thinking about everything that went wrong and that can still go wrong. You're not being fair either by not giving us a real chance. I'm trying to show you how we can be while you let it pass you by without even acknowledging it." He was silent, giving her time to contemplate his words. "I'm not saying to forget everything. I'm asking you to… give this a fair chance. Like I told you yesterday, I'm not giving up."

Seeing her small, but affirmative nod, Bobby put his arm around her shoulder. "Come here." He whispered into her hair after pulling her against his side. And for the first time Alex let herself enjoy the moment. She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, living the feel of his body against hers.

In the evening, after coming back from the movies, Bobby cooked dinner for Alex and Lucy. He cooked lasagne and it was delicious. He was a good cook, but had never shared that skill with Alex before. He promised himself to prepare a romantic dinner for her some time. For dessert there was cookie dough ice cream. At the end of the meal all were full.

It was nearing the time that Laura and David would pick Lucy up and Alex was slightly nervous. Ever since their talk in the park, she'd let herself enjoy Bobby's closeness. She was relaxed and confident around him. She enjoyed his touches and the looks he send her. He indeed was letting her see how it could be. Now she was wondering how he was going to handle meeting her brother and sister-in-law. She knew Laura would be easy, but David could get protective around her and she did not need that.

When the doorbell rang, it was Lucy who ran to the door and opened it. "Hi, mom and dad!" She greeted her parents. Laura as well as David hugged their daughter. "Come on, you gotta meet uncle Bobby." Lucy grabbed both her parents hands and dragged them to the living room.

Alex met then half way and gave both her Laura and David a kiss on the cheek. "Did you two have fun?"

"Yeah, we did." David winked at his wife. "So little sis, tell me, who's uncle Bobby?" Laura had told him about Lucy's story about her uncle Bobby, but both didn't really know who Bobby was and what his role in Alex's life was. As her big brother he felt obliged to find out and make sure Bobby would not hurt his sister.

Walking into the living room, Alex surprised Bobby and her family by standing next to her partner and grabbing his hand in hers. "This is Bobby." She smiled at him. "Bobby, meet Laura and David."

And as if Alex hadn't surprised Laura and David enough, Bobby made sure they were shocked. He kissed Alex on her head, before walking over to shake hands.

"Good to meet you, Bobby." Laura greeted Alex's new… friend with a big smile. The man was handsome and seemed gentle. She decided she liked him.

David eyed the tall man suspiciously. He didn't know what to think. He would observe and judge later. "Nice to meet you." David politely greeted Bobby. "How do you know Alex?"

"I… I work with her." Bobby felt uncomfortable with the way the other man eyed him.

"You're her partner?" The accusation wasn't lost on Bobby and Alex. "And what else are you?"

Noticing how Alex and Bobby uncomfortably looked at each other and shifted on their feet, Laura came to their rescue. Not wanting that her husband was going to ask even more uncomfortable questions, she announced it was time to go home.

TBC...


	17. Dance

A/N: My apologies. This one took soooo long. My muse had left me and I could not find it. Several days I told myself to start writing, but I just didn't know what. Finally I got an idea, but still I just didn't feel like writing. And then I got another idea, one I like better and yesterday I actually started writing. Again ideas are welcome and yes there will be another massage, because I realized there has to be one again. Is it time for the four of them to do something again? If so, what do you suggest? Or other suggestions are welcome also!

**Part seventeen**

The silence after the departure of Alex's family lasted for a couple of minutes. Sitting together on the couch, neither knew what to say. Suddenly Bobby jumped up and held his hand out to Alex.

"What are you doing?" After the day they'd had she wondered if she ever really knew her partner.

"Come on." Impatiently he waved his hand at her. "Just take my hand."

"Fine." Putting her hand in his, he pulled her up more roughly then intended. She stumbled against his chest.

Bobby backed the both of them up, 'till there was some space for them. Without warning her he pulled her into his arms. His left hand holding her right against his chest and his right hand was on her waist, holding her close. Dancing with her was something he'd dreamed about for a long time. To have her in his arms and dance to the beat of their hearts and presence, it was even better than he imagined.

Not wanting to interrupt their moment, she kept silent, but not for long. "What exactly are we doing?" She asked as he turned them around.

"Dancing."

"There's no music."

"We don't need it. Close your eyes." He put his right arm around her waist and pulled her body against his. Leaning his head on top of hers he whispered. "Feel it."

And she did feel it. In a way it was better than dancing to music. She could concentrate on the feel of being in his arms. Just now, in his arms, it hit her how much he meant to her. Not only did she consider him as her best friend, the one person who knew her better than anyone else, he was also the man she was in love with. She realized she could not, nor did she want to, go back to being friends. She knew she'd told him that maybe it would be for the best to stay friends, but she couldn't. Not now she knew how good they were together. He'd been right to push her and ignore her words. Sighing she laid her head on his chest. Feeling daring she put her hand on his back and started to tug on his shirt.

Bobby tensed when he felt her tug on his shirt. He wasn't sure what she wanted, but he didn't remove her hand. Instead he kissed her softly on her hair.

She succeeded in removing his shirt from his jeans and placed her hand on his back. She smiled when she felt his muscles tense underneath her hand. "Relax."

That wasn't easy though with her hand on his back. However, two could play that game. His hand left her waist and travelled up and into her hair. Pushing her hair aside he tilted her head a little. Lowering his head he placed a soft kiss on her exposed neck. He revelled in her response, a shiver, which he felt running through her body. Encouraged by that shiver, he nuzzled her neck. Taking a deep breath he inhaled her unique scent. He gave her hand a soft squeeze, letting her know this was special to him.

Alex, loving his touch, didn't want to feel left out. Her hand started to roam over his back. From his shoulder to his lower back. Not getting the response she was looking for she traced his lower back, just above the waist band of his jeans. Feeling daring she dipped her hand in his waist band. That made him respond. He stopped kissing her neck and grabbed the hand she had on his back.

"Didn't you like that?" Her voice sounded innocent, but the twinkle in her eyes told him otherwise.

Before he could give her a reply, he felt her lips on his neck. She'd gotten her hand out of his grasp and was now unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt. Her lips worked their way lower to the top of his chest.

His breathing was laboured, coming in short gasps. He had to stop her before he got carried away and he wouldn't be able to stop her. He did want one taste. Cupping her face in his hands he kissed her, letting her feel the passion her felt for her. Previously their kisses had been tender and gentle. This one was hungry and passionate. He immediately deepened the kiss and she welcome him. He explored her mouth thoroughly as did she with his and their tongues met in a wild dance.

However pleasant and arousing the kiss was, Alex ended it. After all she needed her breath if she wanted more kisses like that. She leaned her forehead against his chest and regained her breath. Seeing and feeling his chest quickly going up and down she guessed he was in need of air as much as she was.

"Let's just concentrate on dancing, okay?"

THE following morning the four detectives were back at work. Ever since the change of partners, Mike had been promoted to Bobby's desk, sitting opposite of Alex. Bobby had taken the desk opposite of Carolyn. The detective who'd previously occupied the spot opposite to Carolyn was now seated behind the pillar.

Alex and Bobby tried to behave like nothing had happened, but failed. Theykept looking at each other from across the room. Sneaking glances like high school kids in love. Sometimes Alex's eyes would meet his and he would quickly divert them, other times he simply held eye contact. He even winked at her.

Mike and Carolyn weren't oblivious to the 'lovey dovey' glances the two were shooting each other. And so coincidently they changed desks for a moment to catch up.

"Clearly you had an enjoyable weekend?" Carolyn started carefully.

"I did." Grabbing her pen and a form Alex went to work as if nothing had changed.

"Ooh no you don't." Carolyn grabbed the pen from her hand. "What happened between you two? You two are acting like teenagers."

"We baby sat my niece, took a walk in the park and danced." She knew that out of context it didn't seem special, but to her it was.

"It's gotta be more than that." Carolyn tried.

"Nope, that's about it." She could feel Bobby's eyes on her and met them with a smile. Mike was apparently having a little talk of his own with Bobby. She doubted Mike would get anything from him.

"You two finally talked it out, huh?" Mike asked his friend whose eyes were focused on a petit blond detective.Judging from their behaviour he guessed they did more than talking.

"Kind of." What happened that weekend was going to stay between him and Alex. He didn't want to share.

"At least give me something." Mike asked, sensing he wasn't going to get much from Bobby.

"Here's a pen. You need to finish your paperwork. Don't let Alex do everything alone." Handing Mike the pen, he turned his attention to his own paperwork.

TBC...


	18. Truth or dare?

**A/N: My apologies it all took so long. My inspiration was simply gone and when I finally got the idea, I still didn't feel like writing it down. I started this weekend and now it's finished. So this is a fun chapter and I want the next chapter to be romantic. I also realize I need to finish this fic soon...I'm guessing one or two more chapters, but that will be it. Next update will take a while, this time because I'm participating in a Lyric Wheel Challenge and I'm writing a fic for that. The new fic will have angst...Alex angst mostly. So no update for this one, but expect one for the Lyric Wheel. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Again sorry it took so long!**

**Part eighteen**

It was the weekend and it was one of their regular girls night. This time at Alex's place and Carolyn had a little surprise for her friend. She and Mike had agreed that he and Bobby would come crash their party. Things were going well between Alex and Bobby, but they didn't seem to spend much time together.

"Want some more wine?" Alex asked, getting up already to go to the kitchen.

"Sure." Looking at her watch, Carolyn guessed her friend's surprise would arrive soon.

Handing the wine to Carolyn, Alex plopped down on the couch next to Carolyn. Dory, the purple fish with amnesia problems, was lying on one of the turtles. Dory's countdown was disturbed by a sudden loud knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Carolyn jumped off the couch.

Alex, focused on the movie, heard footsteps and guessed it was her friend returning. "Who was it?"

"Two handsome guys." Mike replied. He looked around the living room and decided to take a seat on the chair left of the couch.

Looking up Alex saw Mike walking to her chair and Bobby smiling at her. "Hey." He softly greeted her.

"Hi." She smiled at him. It felt good to be back on track with him again. This week things had been great although they hadn't spend any time alone. She'd thought about asking him to dinner, but had decided against it. She patted on couch, indicating he should sit next to her. Carolyn walked back into the room with beers in her hands for the guys. She didn't mind that her seat had been taken by Bobby. She sat down on the only other chair left in the room.

"Finding Nemo… interesting movie choice, ladies. Feeling kinda daring huh?" He couldn't help the teasing. It was what he did and he enjoyed it. Besides if Alex decided to play the game, he enjoyed it even much more. He looked at the couple on the couch. Both had gotten comfortable. Bobby leaning back, Alex next to him- not quite touching- but her hand was covered by his between them, their fingers entwined.

"There's a lot you can learn from this movie, Mikey." Alex did not disappoint him.

"Right. Like?"

"Well if I have to tell you, where's the learning process. You gotta figure it out on your own."

Carolyn and Bobby both shook their heads at the usual banter between Alex and Mike. "Can you imagine how they are at a crime scene? It's gotta be awful." Carolyn said to Bobby, who'd been her partner for a few weeks now.

"It's surprising that they get any work done." Bobby laughed at the woman next to him.

"Oooh shut up." Alex though there was no trace of anger in her voice. She stabbed Goren in his side with her finger for the remark.

"Let's do something. I don't feel like watching Finding Nemo. Okay?" Mike asked the others. Not getting a negative answer he stopped the movie.

"What do you wanna do?" Carolyn pored Alex's glass full again and then hers.

There was a long silence between the four detectives before Alex ended it. "As long as it's not spin the bottle or…"

"Truth or dare!" Mike shouted.

"Or truth or dare." Alex finished mumbling. "You look grown up, but seriously, your behaviour tells us otherwise. Why would we play truth or dare?"

"No, it could be fun. I mean we agree to… keep things civil and we'll have more mature questions than when we were teenagers."

"But that's no fun!" Mike whined.

"What do you say, Bobby?" Carolyn asked, ignoring the other man's whining.

Bobby shrugged. "All right."

"You're agreeing?" Alex was sure Bobby would refuse to play the game. Now she was in a bit of a jam.

"What, can't handle the pressure, Eames? Afraid of the questions? Or the dares?" Bobby knew how to get to Alex. She would want to prove him wrong.

"Fine. Bring it on."

"Cool. And like I said, we keep things civil as well with the questions as the dares." She gave Mike a pointed look and he held his hands up in surrender. "Who wants to start?"

"I'll go." Alex quickly said. "Mike, truth or dare?"

He was going to regret his previous remarks. She was going to make him pay. He was glad they'd agreed to keep things civil. "Truth."

"What really happened between you and the nurse when we met you about a year ago? You never told us."

"She moved on." Mike sighed, he'd liked her, but it just didn't feel right. "She needed to focus on her studies and I didn't fit into that picture." Not one to dwell on the past, he quickly moved on. "My turn. Bobby, truth or dare?"

Surprising everyone he went for the dare. He even surprised Mike so much that he couldn't come up with a challenging dare. Bobby had to juggle three oranges for two minutes. That was hardly a dare for him. As a child, with not much to do and not many friends he'd had to find ways to entertain himself. Juggling stuff had been one of them and oranges were easy to juggle.

Now it was Bobby's turn. He could ask Carolyn or Alex a question. He decided on Carolyn. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"First love of your life."

The question was unexpected. She would have never guessed Bobby would be the one to ask such a question. "Euuhh… Johnny, I was seven, he was eight and I thought he was great." She smiled, remembering those days. "Alex, your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What do you look for in your significant other?"

Alex sighed, Carolyn the ever romantic. She should have expected a question like this. "Someone who I can be myself with, who shows me he cares without smothering me and who needs me in his life." Not skipping a beat she continued. "Carolyn, truth or dare."

"Truth."

She wasn't going to take it easy on her. Nope it was time to be a little daring. "Are you or aren't you attracted to Mike?"

Mike immediately turned his head to his former partner, his eyes wide. Carolyn blushed, but quickly recovered, shooting Alex an angry glare.

"Yes, but.." Carolyn quickly said, hoping it would divert the attention of her admission.

" that doesn't mean anything because Mike's an attractive guy. You found him attractive too."

This remarks caused Bobby's head to spin to Alex. This was interesting. So she found Mike attractive? Interestingly enough that really didn't do that much to him. No jealousy at all.

Not wanting Mike to react Carolyn decided to ask Bobby the question. "Truth or dare, Bobby."

"Dare."

"Ten one handed push ups." Okay, so the dare wasn't that interesting, but better than Mike's.

Standing up, Bobby didn't know if he could still do that. Back when he was in the army it wasn't a problem and though he still exercised, he wasn't sure if he could do ten one handed push ups. "Let's see."

He got down, put his hands and feet on the ground. Feeling in balance he put one hand behind his back and started with his push ups. Carolyn counted out loud. One to six went easily, after that it got more difficult, but Bobby got to the ten.

Alex knew what he was doing. He was choosing the dares because he did not want to let the others get to know him. It shouldn't have surprised her, but it did and she wished he would see that none of them would break his trust. She sighed and knew Bobby heard her. Looking up she saw his questioning eyes on her.

More than an hour later they were still playing truth or dare and Bobby still hadn't chosen for truth. Alex wanted Mike and Carolyn gone because she wanted to be alone with Bobby. Maybe they could play their own truth or dare. That could be fun.

"Truth or dare, Alex?" Carolyn asked. She still had to get back at Alex.

"Truth."

"What's the wildest, most erotic fantasy you've had about Bobby."

"What?" Alex glared at her friend. She was so not gonna share the fantasies she had about Bobby. Clearly Carolyn was getting back at her. Next to her Bobby sat up straighter and she could feel his eyes on her. "I think it's time you two go home."

"You have to answer the question." Mike pointed out.

"Nope, we agreed to keep things civil and I don't think this qualifies as civil. Besides it's late. I wanna go to sleep."

Recognizing Alex's tone, she was practically dismissing them, they agreed. After clearing away their stuff, they grabbed their coats. "You coming too, Bobby?" Mike asked, waiting at the door with Carolyn for him.

"I…, euuuhh…" He looked from Alex to the door. He didn't want to leave. He wanted some time alone with her, but did she want him to leave? Unsure of himself he shifted on his feet and shuffled his feet.

"He's staying." Alex dared her friends to say anything at all.

"But I thought you were tired. Bet you're not going to get much sleep with him around." Carolyn laughed.

"Yeah, little sweating up the sheets, huh?" Mike added.

"You're just jealous. Maybe Carolyn can help you out."

Not wanting to get into things again, Carolyn grabbed Mike's arm. "Let's go and leave the two love birds alone. Goodnight guys, sleep well!"

TBC...


	19. Enchanting Days

**A/N: My apologies for the long wait. I just have a hard time finishing this one. The inspiration for the last chapters is difficult to find. And when I've found it, it's difficult to put on paper/computer and be happy with what I've written. However this chapter will hopefully make up for that wait. Some fluff as they of course also deserved. Next chapter will be the last one and to end this fic I thought it would be nice to have the four detectives get together again. If you have an idea for a activity/sport they could do, I'd love to hear it. I promise I'll try to have the next chapter up sooner than this one, but I don't know if I'll succeed.**

**Part nineteen**

"You don't fool me. I know what you were up too." Alex snuggled closer to Bobby's side.

Smiling at how comfortable she now seemed with him he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"About you refusing _truth_ questions." She felt him shift beside her. "Mike and Carol are your friends. You can trust them. They would never betray that trust. What is said in the room, will stay in the room. I thought you knew that."

It didn't surprise him that she'd figured him out. He knew her words were true, he knew Mike and Carol were his friends.

"How about we play our own game of truth and dare. This time you choose truth."

"And you choose dare, 'cause you didn't take any dares."

"Okay." Alex shifted on the couch so she could look at him. "Am I setting myself up for a disappointment, Bobby? Are you going to pull back again?" These were the answers she feared most. Now that he had showed her how it could be, she didn't want it to change. She knew now that this was what she wanted. She wanted Bobby in her life.

"I'm here to stay, Alex."

"Are you still afraid I'm going to leave you?" She knew his fear of abandonment and knew that it could make him do strange things.

"No… I… you're the one who stayed. You see more, you see me… you want to see me. I need you, Alex and I don't ever want to let go. Maybe…" He took her hand in his. " there's going to be a time when we won't be together and I know that's going to hurt. But I don't want to miss this." He gently kissed the back of her hand. He smiled slyly at her. "It's time for your dare. Ready?"

Was she going to regret agreeing to this deal? What was going through that man's mind? "Bobby…" She tried to warn him, but was silenced by his finger on her lips.

"Relax." He whispered. "All I want is a kiss."

She smiled at him. A kiss, that she could do,… and well the added bonus was that she didn't really have a problem with that dare. Placing her small hand on his cheek, she pulled him towards him. As soon as their lips met, Alex deepened the kiss, their tongues tangling with each other. Sliding her hand through his hair she tried to pull him even closer. Ending the kiss she gave him feather light kisses, from his jaw to his ear. "Was that good enough?" She whispered into his ear, kissing the lobe softly.

"Mmm… I guess you did all right."

"All right, huh? If you keep that up, you might not be getting any more."

"Does it bother you that I admitted I found Mike attractive?" She'd seen his reaction to her admittance. She was surprised by the look of acceptance in his eyes.

"No." He said it with the conviction he felt. At one time he had been jealous of Mike, but now he saw that Mike was only a friend to Alex. "I admit that at one time I did feel jealous, but I know there's no need to be jealous. Alex, you're a beautiful woman and I see how men react to you. At times I didn't feel worthy, I thought you could do so much better than me. Now, I realize that you want me as much as I want you."

She gave him a big smile and a quick kiss on his lips. She needed to know he trusted her and was sure about her feelings for him. She didn't want him to doubt her and what they had. He didn't and it felt good.

Now it was his turn again and he could finally do what he had planned. "Take off your sweater and bra and lie down on the couch, face down."

"What?" Surely she heard him wrong.

"You heard me."

"That's my dare? To take off my sweater and bra? I'm not sure if I want to…"

"Just take off the sweater, unhook your bra and lie down on the couch. Trust me." Giving her one more look, he walked out of the living room, giving her time take off her sweater and lie down.

He had made her a new massage oil. After the last time had not gone right, he'd wanted to give her a massage again. He had made a new one because of the hurtful words he had used before. This time the oil he'd made was called Enchanting Days and he was sure Alex would love it. After heating it up he walked back to the couch where Alex was lying down on the couch.

"Scoot over." He needed some room to sit down. Dribbling some oil on her back, he realized that this time he could enjoy and admire her beautiful back. Not that he hadn't found her back beautiful the last time. It was just that that last time he hadn't know if she would be all right with that.

Alex, realizing what he was going to do, sighed. She'd loved his massages and was sure going to enjoy this one. He had wonderful hands and knew how to use them. "You have wonderful massage hands." She said, feeling her muscles and herself relax.

"They're good in other things too." His hands were on her shoulders, kneading her muscles.

"Really?" She smiled even though he couldn't see it.

A silence settled between them. Bobby kept admiring her skin and Alex closed her eyes and focused on the feelings Bobby evoked in her. Working on her lower back he commented on her beauty. "Do you realize how you beautiful you are, Alex?" Not waiting for her answer he continued. "In my life I tried hard to never need someone in my life. Growing up I learned I could only count on myself. I hardly let anyone get close to me. I protected myself that way from getting hurt. It… it was lonely too. Then… we became partners and I felt less lonely. You… you became my best friend and I knew I had someone in my life who I could trust, someone I could count on. I cherished that. Soon though I realized that I felt more than friendship and I hoped you would feel the same. Alex, you…the essence of your breath is all I need. Everything after that, is an even greater gift. That is how I feel about you."

She had heard his every word. The depth of his feelings shouldn't have surprised her. Bobby's feelings were always very intense and deep to him. That was how he felt things that were close to his heart. Turning over she saw how his hands stilled on her stomach, how his eyes didn't wander over her body, only looked in her eyes. Taking his hands she pulled him closer and kissed him. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck, one wandering lower to feel his back, the other playing with his hair.

Wanting her, yet not wanting to go to fast, Bobby ended the kiss albeit with some reluctance. "Turn back over." His voice was rough with passion.

"Okay." Alex was just as affected by the passion.

Continuing the massage on her back, Bobby took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself and control his body. The movements of his hands were slowing down, not so much massaging as it was soothing. Looking at his watch, he knew it was time to go.

"Alex?" Getting no reaction he called her again, but still didn't get a reply. Looking at her, he saw that she had fallen asleep. He ran his hand over her hair before he hooked her bra, closing it. Leaning in he placed a soft kiss on her shoulder. "Come on, Alex." He lifted her up in his arms. He loved how she snuggled closer to him as he carried her into her bedroom. He pulled back her sheets and lowered her on the bed. As he was taking her shoes off, Alex woke up.

"Sorry." She said with a sleepy voice.

"It's okay."

Standing up, Alex walked over to the chair to get her night clothes. Bobby simply stood in her bedroom, unsure what to do. "I'll… I'd better go."

"Stay."

"I don't know if…"

"Stay." Alex said again. "Please."

Nodding his agreement he was unsure what to do next. But Alex quickly solved that. "I'll go change in the bathroom." Bobby stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers and sat down on Alex's bed. When Alex was ready, Bobby got into the bathroom and Alex locked the front door and switched off the lights in her living room. Getting into bed she waited for Bobby. As soon as he got into bed, she was at his side, her head on his shoulder. Bobby had other plans and rolled her over onto her back. Kissing her passionately he let his hands wander over her body. He wasn't going to make love to her. He thought that was too soon, but he let himself enjoy the moment. Ending the kiss, he spooned her. Placing a soft kiss on her neck, he wished her goodnight.

TBC...


	20. Together again

**A/N: And this is it, the last chapter of this long ride. I decided to end where it began... with a work out. Nothing special this last chapter, more of a resolution of stuff that needed closure. I want to thank everybody who read and reviewed! Love you guys! Never have I had so many reviews. The next story idea is already in my head... it will be called His Claim/Her Claim, don't know yet when it will be written down. Thanks again everyone and enjoy the last chapter!**

**Part twenty**

It was the end of the four weeks he'd given Bobby and Alex to solve their problem. Today Deakins had to decide if they were going to stay partnered with Logan and Barek or if he should put them back together. He had watched them closely and was relieved to see that Goren and Eames were back on track again, or so it seemed. They were smiling again, talking to each other and helping each other out. The temporary partnership was working out fine, maybe he should keep it this way. On the other hand he knew Bobby and Alex were on their best when they were together.

"Goren, Eames my office please." Deakins called into the bullpen.

Alex and Bobby looked at each other wondering what was going on. They were taking their relationship slowly. They would spend their weekends together, sometimes staying at Alex's place, other times at Bobby's. During the week it depended on the caseload.

"Close the door." Deakins said, taking his seat behind his desk.

"What's going on, Captain." Alex was always the straightforward one of the two.

"Some time ago Goren asked me to make the change in your partnership permanent. What he didn't know is that I didn't approve it. I decided to give you four weeks, if you still wanted the partnership to be permanent, then I'd approve it. Time's up people and I wanna know what you two want." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I'm willing to give you till the end of the day to make a decision."

The two former partners smiled at each other, happy that their captain was giving them this opportunity. "We don't have to think about it." Alex started.

"We want to be partnered together again." Bobby finished.

"Good, then I can throw away this paper." Deakins had Bobby's letter in his hand. "Now tell Logan and Barek they're back together and get the cases sorted out."

"Thanks." Together with Bobby, Alex walked back to the door.

"And detectives, don't let this happen again. I'm serious, if this happens again you two will be split up and I won't give you a second chance." He had to warn them even though he was pretty sure it was not going to happen again.

"We… we know. Thanks captain." Bobby opened the door for his partner and with a big smile they walked back into the bullpen straight to Logan and Barek.

"Good news?" Carolyn asked, leaning against Logan's desk.

"Yes, we're partners again and so are you two." Goren gave them the good news.

"Good news indeed." Logan agreed.

"Does that mean you didn't enjoy my company?" Alex feigned hurt.

"Lexie," Mike gave her a big, sweet smile, knowing she hated the nick name. "I loved your company, don't ever doubt that. But you were clearly swooning over the big guy there. I could hardly get any work done!"

"Ooh you're full of it, aren't you?" Alex smacked Logan on his chest. "Don't even get me started on you and Carolyn. Does denial ring a bell?"

"Mmm…. Let me think." Mike scratched his chin and looked up, thinking about Alex's words. "Nope,…. Oooh wait… river in Egypt, right?" He didn't even try to hide is his grin.

"Let's get things sorted out, okay?" Bobby intervened, avoiding a verbal match between Mike and Alex.

"Hey, are we still on for tonight?" Carolyn asked after they'd sorted the cases out.

"Yeah, be ready to lose." Bobby pointed at Carolyn and Mike.

"Dream on, big guy, dream on." Mike sat down, taking up his new desk across from his partner Carolyn.

That evening, after work, the four detectives were at the NYPD gym again. Bobby had been pestering Mike, Carolyn and Alex for another basketball game. The last game had ended when Alex had gotten injured. Now he wanted revenge, because now he and Alex were together and they were going to kick Mike and Carolyn's asses. After a good warm up the four colleagues were ready.

Alex, who was talking with Carolyn, looked at her man. Yes that was what she called him in her thoughts, her man… because now he was her man. He looked great in his dark grey shorts and light grey sleeveless shirt. She loved to see his muscular arms and strong legs.

Bobby was, in his turn, admiring his girlfriend. He liked how that sounded, his girlfriend. It may sound a bit juvenile, but he didn't mind. Alex was wearing a tight red shirt and black shorts. There was so much he loved about Alex, but he had a thing for her arms. She had strong arms. He also loved how he could freely touch her. The bullpen wasn't the right place for that, but after hours he would grab her hand when walking on the street. He loved that liberty, to simply take her hand on hold it in his.

"You ready?" Bobby asked as he walked to Alex.

"Yes." She placed her hand his chest. "Don't get too competitive."

Bobby ignored Alex remark and after the first points Bobby and Mike were already very competitive. Alex was dribbling with the ball. Surprisingly Mike was defending her. He was tall and broad, but not very fast on his feet and she was. So with a few quick moves she was past him. From the corner of her eyes she saw Bobby running towards the board. With an almost professional like pass the ball flew through the air. As it sailed in front of the basket, Bobby grabbed the ball out of the air and dunked it. That gave Bobby and Alex a four point lead.

With a score of 8-6 for Bobby and Alex, Mike called for a time out. The game was thrilling and the teams had almost equal strengths. Sitting on the wooden bench, Alex and Bobby watched Mike and Carolyn.

"How long do you think it'll take them to realize?"

"Well, they're probably not as dense as we were, but there's Mike reputation. I'll give them a month and a half." Alex watched as Mike casually threw his arm around Carolyn's shoulder.

Bobby did the same, he put his arm around Alex shoulder and pulled her close. He placed a soft kiss on her temple. "Should we help them out?"

"You're a real romantic, aren't you Bobby?" She was surprised by his suggestion. She kissed him lightly on the lips.

"You two love birds, let's finish this game. After that you two can do whatever you want."

Standing up, Bobby offered Alex his hand and pulled her up. Mike had the ball and passed it quickly to Carolyn, who with a few fake moves left Alex behind her. Then she passed the ball back to Mike. Quickly Carolyn backed up, got the ball back and with a nice jump shot she scored a three pointer.

If Bobby and Alex scored the next point they would win. Bobby knew only one thing, he needed to win from Logan. With that in mind it went wrong for him. Getting the ball from Alex, he totally forgot about her and tried put the ball in the basket from an impossible position. Carolyn and Alex, who were both under the basket, waited for the rebound and it was Carolyn who grabbed and scored. 8-11 was the end score for Mike and Carolyn. They cheered and were in each other's arms and Bobby… Bobby was sulking.

"Can't win everything, Bobby." Alex walked up to him and grabbed his hand. "Promise, tonight, I'll make you forget you even played this match."

Bobby's eyes widened in surprise. He liked that idea, but Mike, who had heard Alex's reply, was first. "Promise I will help you remember."

**The End**


End file.
